UC-NRLF 


B    M 


\ 


• 


ALICE  H.  WHTTTAKER. 


V. 


the 


THE 


SPY   UNMASKED; 

OR, 

MEMOIRS 

OF 

ENOCH  CROSBY,    ALIAS  HARVEY  BIRCH, 

THE   HERO   OF   MR.    COOPER'S    TALE   OF   THE 

NEUTRAL  GROUND: 

BEING  AN  AUTHENTIC  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  SECRET   SERVICES 

WHICH    HE    RENDERED    HIS    COUNTRY   DURING 

THE   REVOLUTIONARY   WAR. 

(Taken  from  his  own  lips,  in  short-hand.) 

COMPRISING    MANY    INTERESTING    FACTS    AND    ANECDOT) 
NEVER    BEFORE    PUBLISHED. 


BY  H.  I*.  BAHNU1XI, 


EMBELLISHED  WITH  A  CORRECT  LIKENESS  OF  THE  HERO, 
WITH    A   FAC  SIMILE  OF  HIS  SIGNATURE. 

SECOND  EDITION. 


CINCINNATI: 

PUBLISHED  BY  A.  B.  ROFF, 

.SOLD  BY  LUKE  LOOMIS  AND  CO.  PITTSBURGH;    JAMES  W.  PALMER, 

LOUISVILLE;  J.  s.  KELLOGG,  MOBILE;  E.  cox,  MAYSVILLE;  AND 

MOST  OF  THE  PRINCIPAL  BOOKSELLERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 
Robinson  ^  Fairbarik — Printers. 

1831. 


SOUTHERN  DISTRICT  OF  NEW.YORK,  ss. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  10th  day  of  July,  A.  D.  1828,  in  the 
fifty-third  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  H.  L. 
BARNUM,  of  the  said  District,  has  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  Book, 
the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  author,  in  the  words  following  to  wit: 

"The  Spy  Unmasked;  or,  Memoirs  of  Enoch  Crosby,  alias  Harvey  Birch,  the 
Hero  of  Mr.  Cooper's  Tale  of  the  Neutral  Ground:  being  an  authentic  account 
of  the  secret  services  which  he  rendered  his  country  during  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Taken  from  his  own  lips,  in  short-hand. — Comprising  many  interesting 
facts  and  anecdotes  never  before  published.  By  H.  L.  Barnum." 

In  conformity  to  the  act  of  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled  "An  act 
for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts,  and 
books,  to  the  authors,  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein 
mentioned."  And  also  to  an  act,  entitled  "An  act  supplementary  to  an  act,  en 
titled  an  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps, 
charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the 
times  therein  mentioned,  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  de 
signing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  other  prints.,' 

FRED.  J.  BETTS, 
Clerk  of  the  Southern  District  of  New-York. 


C75£ 


DEDICATION 


TO   JAMES    F.   COOPER,   ESU,. 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  SPY,"  "RED  ROVER,"  <^  c  . 

SIR, 

As  it  was  your  fascinating  pen  that  first  immortalized 
the  subject  of  the  following  Memoir,  while  it  elevated  the 
literary  reputation  of  our  free  and  happy  country,  the 
Compiler  has  ventured  to  prefix  your  name  to  this  un 
authorized  dedication. 

Rest  assured,  Sir,  that  in  taking  this  liberty,  the  under 
signed  had  no  other  incentive  but  a  profound  respect  for 
your  talents  as  an  author,  and  a  warm  esteem  for  your 
virtues  as  a  man. 

Under  the  hope  that  the  motive  will  justify  the  act,  he 
begs  leave  to  subscribe  himself 

Your  most  obedient,  and  very 

Humble  servant, 

H.  L.  BARNUM. 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Dedication,        -  ";         5 

Introduction,  —               -                 9 

CHAP.  I. — Early  Impressions,  -       13 

II. — Leaving  Home,        -  20 

HI.— The  First  Campaign,      -  -       26 

IV.— The  Tories,  37 

V.— Secret  Services,  -       43 

VI.— The  Spy  and  the  Haystack,  -                             54 

VII.— The  Escape,    -  -       66 

VIII.— The  Mountain  Cave,  76 

IX.— Chaderton's  Hill,  -       88 

X.— The  Secret  Pass,      -  102 

XL— Lights  and  Shadows,       -  -     116 

XII.— Quaker  Hill,  124 

XIII.— The  Spy  Unmasked,        -  -      131 

XIV.— The  Spy  and  the  Traitor,  141 

Conclusion,        -  -     152 

Appendix,    -  155 


1* 


INTRODUCTION 


SINGE  the  first  publication  of  Mr.  Cooper's  interesting 
novel  of  "The  Spy,  A  Tale  of  the  Neutral  Ground,"  much 
curiosity  has  been  excited  in  the  reading  community,  re 
specting  the  original  of  that  excellent  portraiture,  HARVEY 
BIRCH.  It  seemed  to  be  generally  admitted,  that  the  Spy 
was  not  a  fictitious  personage,  but  a  real  character,  drawn 
from  life;  and  the  author  himself  intimates  as  much  in  his 
preface,  where  he  admits  that  "a  good  portion  of  the  tale  is 
true." 

But  we  are  happy  to  assure  the  reader,  that  the  fact  does 
not  rest  upon  the  slender  basis  of  fanciful  conjecture.  A 
gentleman  of  good  standing  and  respectability,  who  has 
filled  honourable  official  stations  in  the  county  of  West- 
chester,  and  who  has  long  enjoyed  the  friendship  and  confi 
dence  of  Mr.  Cooper,  informed  the  writer  of  this  article,  on 
the  authority  of  Mr.  Cooper  himself,  that  the  outline  of  the 
character  of  Harvey  Birch,  was  actually  sketched  from  that 
of  ENOCH  CROSBY;  but  filled  up,  partly  from  imagination, 
and  partly  from  similar  features  in  the  lives  of  two  or  three 
others,  who  were  also  engaged  in  secret  services,  during 
the  revolutionary  war.  But  Mr.  Cooper  has  frequently 
assured  our  informant,  that,  though  he  had  borrowed  inci 
dents  from  the  lives  of  others  to  complete  the  portrait,  yet 
ENOCH  CROSBY  was  certainly  the  original  which  he  had  in 
his  "mind's  eye." 

That  there  were  several  such  secret  agents  in  the  service 
of  the  leaders  of  the  revolution,  is  a  fact  that  is  now  well 
known;  a  fact  to  which  the  author  alludes  in  the  first 
chapter  of  "The  Spy,"  where  he  says,  "Many  an  indi 
vidual  has  gone  down  to  the  tomb  stigmatized  as  a  foe  to 
the  rights  of  his  countrymen,  while,  in  secret,  he  has  been 
the  useful  agent  of  the  leaders  of  the  revolution."  Each 
of  these  individuals  might  have  contributed  a  tint,  a  shade, 
a  line,  or  perhaps  a  feature,  to  the  character  of  Harvey 


IXtRODUCTION. 

Birch;  but  we  think  no  one  can  peruse  the  following  pages 
without  being  convinced  that  Enoch  Crosby  was  the  origi 
nal  model  from  which  that  character  was  formed. 

It  is  highly  probable,  however,  that  Mr.  Cooper  never 
saw  Crosby;  and,  of  course,  could  not  have  received  the 
incidents  of  his  life  from  his  own  lips,  as  did  the  compiler 
of  the  following  Memoir.  But  the  honourable  John  Jay,  it 
will  be  recollected,  was  chairman  of  the  "Committee  of 
Safety,"  under  whose  sanction  Crosby's  secret  services 
were  performed;  and  we  understand,  it  was  at  Mr,  Jay^s 
residence  that  the  novel  of  "The  Spy"  was  first  conceived 
and  brought  into  existence.  This  venerable  patriot  (better 
than  any  one  else,  not  even  excepting  the  secret  agents 
themselves,)  could  furnish  Mr.  Cooper  with  every  requisite 
material  for  the  character  of  Harvey  Birch ;  although  he 
was  under  the  erroneous  impression,  that  Enoch  Crosby 
had  long  since  paid  the  debt  of  nature. 

On  learning  the  foregoing  facts,  from  the  gentleman 
alluded  to  above,  the  writer  of  this  narrative,  being  then 
about  twenty  miles  from  the  residence  of  Mr.  Crosby,  was 
induced  to  pay  him  a  visit,  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  some 
of  the  incidents  of  his  life  related  by  himself;  but  without 
the  least  intention  of  ever  committing  them  to  paper. 

Although  perfect  strangers  to  each  other,  the  old  gentle 
man  gave  his  visiter  a  cordial  reception,  and  readily  com 
plied  with  his  request,  by  relating  several  particulars  of  his 
own  eventful  life.  Some  of  these  were  of  so  interesting  a 
nature,  as  induced  the  auditor  to  suggest  the  propriety  of 
laying  them  before  the  public.  The  aged  veteran  modestly 
waived  such  a  proposition,  considering  the  events  of  his 
life  as  of  too  little  consequence  to  claim  attention  from 
the  patrons  of  literature.  He  had  never  seen  "The  Spy," 
as  novels  were  not  included  in  his  present  course  of  reading; 
he  was  consequently  ignorant  of  being  himself  the  very 
hero  of  the  tale.  When  advised  of  this  fact,  and  solicited 
to  peruse  the  work,  he  consented ;  and  the  visiter  took  his 
leave. 

A  short  time  subsequent  to  this  interview,.  Mr,  Crosby 
was  called  to  the  city  of  New-York,  to  give  his  testimony 
in  an  important  law-suit,  respecting  the  transfer  of  some 
valuable  real  estate..  While  attending  Court,  in  the 


INTRODUCTION.  XI 

City  Hall,  he  was  recognized ^by  an  old  gentleman,  who, 
not  having  heard  of  him  for  a  number  of  years,  supposed 
(like  Jay  and  Cooper,)  that  Crosby  had  been,  long  since, 
numbered  with  the  dead.  After  such  mutual  greetings  as 
are  usual  on  similar  occasions,  Crosby's  old  acquaintance 
turned  to  the  Court,  and  introduced  his  friend  as  "the  origi 
nal  Harvey  Birch  of  Mr.  Cooper's  'Spy?  '• 

This  anecdote  being  published  in  some  of  the  daily 
papers,  Mr.  Sandford,  proprietor  of  the  Lafayette  Theatre, 
politely  invited  Mr.  Crosby  to  attend  the  representations  of 
the  drama  of  the  "  Spy;"1  which  was  performed  expressly 
for  that  occasion.  Mr.  Crosby  complied;  and,  the  circum- 
tance  being  announced  in  the  papers,  a  numerous  audience 
attended,  who  received  the  old  soldier  with  several  rounds 
of  applause,  which  he  modestly  acknowledged.  He  ap 
peared  to  be  much  interested  in  the  performance,  andjreadily 
admitted,  that  some  of  the  incidents  resembled  transactions 
in  which  he  himself  had  been  an  actor  in  "olden  time,"  on 
"the  Neutral  Ground." 

How  Mr.  Crosby  was  pleased  with  his  reception  in  the 
city,  will  be  seen  from  the  following  letter,  which  he  sent  to 
the  Editors  of  the  "Journal  of  Commerce,"  in  which  paper 
it  appeared  on  the  twenty-first  day  of  December  last,  1827. 

"For  the  Journal  of  Commerce. 
MESSRS.  EDITORS, 

It  would  be  an  unsatisfactory  restraint  of  my  feelings, 
should  I  not  express  my  gratitude  to  the  citizens  of  New- 
York,  for  their  kind  attention  to  me  during  my  late  visit  to 
that  city,  and  particularly  to  the  managers  of  the  theatre, 
who  politely  invited  me  to  witness  the  play  called  the  'SpyS 
J  was  much  gratified  with  the  performance;  for,  while 
it  called  to  mind  those  trying  scenes  of  the  revolutionary 
war,  it  also  created  happy  emotions  in  reflecting  upon  the 
glorious  result  of  our  labours  during  that  perilous  time, 
which  brought  with  it  Independence  and  Prosperity;  and 
having  been  spared  to  enjoy  those  blessings  for  half  a  cen 
tury,  and  see  them  still  continued,  I  can  lay  down  my  weary 
and  worn-out  limbs  in  peace  and  happiness,  to  see  my  fee 
ble  labours  rewarded,  and  my  greatest  wishes  answere^ 
in  gaining  our  independence,  and  the  blessings  attending  jt. 


XU  INTRODUCTION. 

and  my  most  earnest  and  fervent  prayer  is,  and  shall  be, 
that  they  may  be  perpetuated  to  the  latest  posterity. 

Yours,  very  respectfully,        ENOCH  CROSBY. 

December,  15,  1827." 

The  writer  of  these  pages  now  felt  convinced  that  the 
public  curiosity  demanded  an  authentic  narrative  of  Enoch 
Crosby's  secret  services,  during  the  revolutionary  war. 
Under  this  impression,  he  paid  him  a  second  visit;  and, 
after  much  persuasion,  prevailed  on  him  to  relate  the  prin 
cipal  incidents  of  his  life,  in  the  order  they  occurred, 
while  his  visiter  took  them  down,  from  his  lips,  in  short 
hand.  The  substance  of  the  following  pages  may,  there 
fore,  be  depended  upon,  as  facts  related  by  Mr.  Crosby 
himself.  It  is  true,  the  language  is,  in  most  instances,  the 
Compiler's;  but  the  ideas,  with  very  few  exceptions,  are 
Crosby's  own.  The  language  was  changed  for  the  two 
following  reasons: — 

First,  The  events  and  incidents  of  Crosby's  life  were  re 
lated  to  the  Compiler  in  the  first  person;  which  would  have 
precluded  many  other  facts  from  various  sources,  which 
have  a  connexion  with,  or  a  bearing  on,  those  furnished  by 
himself.  By  changing  the  style  to  the  third  person,  the 
Compiler  was  at  liberty  to  interweave  several  important 
events  which  can  certainly  detract  nothing  from  the  merits 
of  the  work. 

Secondly,  the  particulars  of  Crosby's  adventures,  as  nar 
rated  in  the  following  pages,  were  elicited  in  a  catechetical 
colloquy ;  the  style  of  which  is  seldom  sufficiently  accurate, 
or  elevated  for  the  page  of  history.  But  the  facts  them 
selves,  did  all  actually  occur,  with  very  trifling  variation. 

The  following  work  has  been  divided  into  chapters,  for 
the  convenience  of  the  reader,  in  making  references,  &c. ; 
each  of  which  has  been  headed  with  a  motto,  in  order  that 
his  path,  as  he  proceeds  through  the  narrative,  might  be 
diversified  with  a  few  flowers  of  acknowledged  sweetness. 
They  may  be  "read  or  sung,  at  the  discretion  of"  those  who 
honour  the  book  with  a  perusal;  or  they  may  be  passed 
over  unnoticed;  fora  motto,  like  a  parenthesis,  "can  always 
be  omitted  without  injuring  the  sense." 

The  explanatory  notes  were  placed  in  the  margin  of  the  pages  in  the  first 
edition,  but  in  this  they  are  inserted  in  the  appendix,  and  designated  by  figures. 


THE    SPY    UNMASKED. 

CHAPTER  I. 

EARLY    IMPRESSIONS, 

Be  this  brief  precept  carefully  imprest, 
By.  every  parent,  on  the  infant  breast; 
»  Thy  best  affections  let  thy  God  command, 
But  next  to  Heaven,  adore  thy  native  land." 

ENOCH  CROSBY,  the  subject  of  the  following  memoir,  is 
a  native  of  Harwich,  in  the  county  of  Barnstable,  state  of 
Massachusetts^  1)  He  was  born  on  the  fourth  day  of  Jan 
uary,  1750;  a  year  rendered  somewhat  remarkable  by  the 
first  indication  of  a  wish,  on  the  part  of  the  British  par 
liament,  to  infringe  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  Ameri 
can  colonies.(2) 

It  would  not  be  an  unpardonable  hyperbole  to  say,  that 
the  adventures  of  Enoch  Crosby  commenced  at  the  early 
age  of  three  years;  as,  at  that  period,  be  letl  the  place  of 
his  nativity,  and,  after  a  journey  of  more  than  two  hundred 
miles,  became  a  resident  of  the  state  of  New-York,  His 
father  had  purchased  a  farm  in  the  township  of  South 
east,^)  then  the  county  of  Duchess,  but  since  set  off  as 
part  of  the  countv  of  Putnam,  to  which  place  he  removed 
his  family  in  1^53. 

In  this  delightful  retreat,  Enoch  passed  the  happy  period 
of  childhood ;  blest  with  parents  whose  tenderness  and  affec 
tion  were  only  equalled  by  the  rectitude  of  their  lives;  and 

2 


14  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OK 

indulged  with  every  reasonable  gratification  that  moderate 
affluence  could  procure. 

The  natural  scenery  which  surrounded  his  paternal 
mansion,  was  picturesque,  wild,  and  romantic;  and,  no 
doubt,  contributed  to  tinge  his  infantile  mind  with  that  cast 
of  romance  and  adventure  which  so  eminently  imiuenced 
the  actions  of  his  riper  years.  His  earliest  recreations 
were  among  cragged  rocks  and  dizzy  steeps;  frightful 
precipices,  roaring  cataracts  and  placid  lakes.  A  high  and 
romantic  eminence  called  Joe's  Hill,  which  rises  near  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  extends  several  miies  into  the  state 
of  Connecticut,  was  the  theatre  of  many  of  his  juvenile 
exploits ;  as  were,  also,  the  flowery  banks  of  the  meander 
ing  Croton,  and  the  borders  of  several  beautiful  ponds^ 
which  lie  like  mirrors  in  the  bottom  of  valleys,  reflecting 
from  their  lucid  surface  the  mountains  and  the  sky.  En 
dowed  by  nature  with  more  than  ordinary  physical  ad 
vantages,  he  generally  bore  away  the  palm  from  his  play 
fellows,  iu  every  athletic  exercise;  especially  such  as  re 
quired  a  combination  of  personal  courage,  strength  and 
activity. 

Thus,  for  several  years,  glided  the  smooth  current  of  his 
existence,  sparkling  in  the  sunbeams  of  hope,  and  unruf 
fled  by  any  intruding  cares,  save  such  as  are  incidental  to 
the  April  morning  of  life.  As  his  mental  faculties  gradu- 
ally  developed  themselves,  they  were  doubtless  assisted  by 
such  precarious  liteipry  instruction  as  could  be  conveni 
ently  obtained  in  a  thinly  populated  district,  at  a  period 
when  the  state  of  education  was  not  very  promising  in  any 
part  of  the  country. 

Under  such  circumstances,  it  is  not  to  be  presimied  that 
a  lad  of  fourteen  years  could  have  a  very  clear  idea  of  the 
political  relations  existing  between  different  countries;  yet 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  15 

there  is  little  doubt,  that  the  political  discussions  to  which, 
at  that  age,  he  was  frequently  a  silent  listener,  had  consid 
erable  influence  in  preparing  his  mind  for  the  part  he  was 
destined  to  perform  in  the  great  drama  of  the  revolution. 

These  discussions  originated  in  certain  acts  of  the  British 
parliament,  which  were  passed  in  the  year  1764,  one  of 
which  commenced  in  the  following  alarming  terms: — 
'  Whereas,  it  is  just  and  necessary,  that  a  revenue  be 
raised  in  America,  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  defend 
ing,  protecting,  and  securing  the  same,(4)  we,  the  com 
mons,  &c.  give  and  grant  unto  your  majesty,  the  sum  of," 
&c.  Here  followed  a  specification  of  duties  on  certain  ar 
ticles  of  foreign  produce,  such  as  sugar,  indigo,  coffee, 
silks,  calicoes,  molasses,  and  syrups. 

This  being  the  first  act  of  the  kind  (avowedly  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  revenue  from  the  colonies,)  that  had 
ever  disgraced  the  parliamentary  statute-book,  it  naturally 
produced  much  excitement  and  animadversion  on  this  side 
the  Atlantic.  The  merits  of  the  question  were  freely  and 
warmly  canvassed  by  persons  of  all  conditions  and  ages, 
and  in  every  situation  where  two  or  three  happened  to  be 
congregated ;  by  females  as  well  as  males,  and  even  by 
children  in  their  seasons  of  recreation.  The  village  lasses 
felt  indignant  at  the  interference  of  parliament  in  matters 
connected  with  the  regulation  of  their  wardrobes;  while 
the  children  justly  apprehended  some  economical  restric 
tions  in  their  usual  allowance  of  gingerbread  and  sweet 
meats. 

Master  Enoch,  of  course,  was  not  an  indifferent  audi 
tor  of  these  perpetual  discussions;  but  regularly  reiterated, 
to  an  audience  of  school-fellows,  such  of  his  father's  argu 
ments  and  observations,  as  his  juvenile  mind  partially  com 
prehended.  Each  of  his  comrades  could,  from  a  similar 


16  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OK 

source,  furnish  his  own  quota  of  remark ;  and  thus  a  de 
termined  spirit  of  opposition  to  ministerial  encroachments 
on  colonial  rights,  was  permanently,  and  almost  instinc 
tively,  established  in  the  bosoms  of  the  rising  generation, 
even  before  they  were  capable  of  understanding  the  nature 
or  extent  of  the  subject. 

Ere  these  newly  awakened  feelings,  in  the  minds  of 
Americans,  were  allowed  time  to  subside,  the  celebrated 
stamp  act  was  received  from  England.  The  astonishment, 
alarm,  and  indignation,  which  now  agitated  every  patriotic 
breast;  would  not  be  restrained,  but  burst  forth  in  expres 
sions  and  acts  that  could  not  be  misunderstood  by  the 
friends  and  abettors  of  the  obnoxious  measure.  A  string 
of  patriotic  resolutions  on  the  subject,  offered  by  the  cele 
brated  Patrick  Henry,  and  adopted  by  the  legislature  of 
Virginia,  were  printed  and  circulated  through  all  the  prov 
inces.  Wherever  they  were  read,  they  were  hailed  with 
enthusiasm;  even  school-boys  were  encouarged  to  recite 
them  in  their  respective  classes^  and  exhorted  to  imbibe  tlie 
spirit  by  which  they  had  been  dictated. (5) 

A  new  mode  of  expressing  the  popular  resentment  against 
this  odious  act,  began  with  the  whigs  in  Boston,  and  was 
soon  adopted  by  those  of  the  neighbouring  colonies.  This 
was  by  hanging  or  burning,  in  effigy,  such  of  the  principal 
loyalists  as  had  openly  avowed  themselves  friendly  to  the 
revenue  system.  The  temper  which  prompted  these  tu 
multuous  proceedings,  rapidly  spread  through  the  colonies, 
until  popular  commotions  prevailed  to  a  degree  that  gave 
serious  alarm  to  those  cool  and  reflecting  citizens  who  re 
garded  the  morals  as  well  as  the  liberties  of  their  country. 
Scarcely  a  day  passed  without  furnishing  the  peaceful  in 
habitants  of  Southeast  with  some  new  account  of  riots,(6) 
mols,  and  summary  chastisements,  inflicted  on  the  friend? 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  17 

of  the  stamp  act,  in  Boston,  Newport,  New-York,  Balti 
more,  and  other  populous  towns.  This  was  certainly  a 
dangerous  spirit  to  let  loose  in  society;  and  though,  in  the 
present  instance,  its  excesses  were,  perhaps,  in  some 
measure,  sanctified  by  its  motives,  still  the  necessity  of  its 
existence  was  deeply  deplored  by  the  best  friends  of  their 
country. 

The  mind  of  youth  is  easily  dazzled  by  such  vivid  cor 
uscations  of  patriotic  fervour;  and  there  is  little  doubt 
that  they  had  a  due  share  of  influence  in  the  formation  of 
Enoch  Crosby's  character. 

About  this  period,  patriotic  associations  were  formed, 
the  members  of  which  were  denominated  the  "Sons  of 
Liberty"  and  they  agreed  "to  march  with  the  utmost  expe 
dition,  (at  their  own  proper  cost  and  expense,)  with  their 
whole  force,  to  the  relief  of  those  who  should  be  in  danger 
from  the  stamp  act,  or  its  promoters  and  abettors,  on  account 
of  any  thing  done  in  opposition  to  its  obtaining."  This 
agreement  was  subscribed  to  by  such  numbers  in  New- 
York  and  the  Eastern  States,  that  nothing  short  of  a  repeal 
of  the  offensive  act  could  have  prevented  the  immediate 
commencement  of  a  civil  war.  It  was  accordingly  re 
pealed  on  the  18th  of  March,  1766. 

The  subject  of  this  memoir  very  distinctly  remembers 
the  unusual  rejoicings  which  took  place  in  his  vicinity,  in 
consequence  of  this  highly  interesting  event.  Similar  de 
monstrations  of  joy  were  exhibited  throughout  the  colonies. 
The  names  of  Camden  and  Pitt  were  cheered  to  the  skies. 
Every  indignant  resolution  was  immediately  rescinded;  the 
churches  resounded  with  thanksgivings;  illuminations  and 
bonfires  were  every  where  exhibited;  and  a  joyful  holyday 
was  held  throughout  the  country.  This  was  another  cir 
cumstance  that  made  a  lasting  impression  on  the  youthful 

2* 


13  THE   SPY  UNMASKED;   OR 

mind  of  Enoch,  and  assisted  in  the  formation  of  a  char 
acter  which  has  since  been  so  admirably  delineated  by  the 
pen  of  a  master. 

But  while  the  whole  country  was  thus  dissolved  in  joy, 
there  were  not  wanting  a  few  enlightened  patriots,  who 
maintained  "that  the  immoderate  transports  of  the  colo 
nists  were  disproportioned  to  the  advantage  they  had 
gained;"  for  at  the  same  time  that  the  stamp  act  was  re 
pealed,  the  absolute  unlimited  supremacy  of  parliament  was, 
in  words,  asserted. 

"Wherefore  do  we  rejoice?1'  asked  the  good  clergyman^ 
to  whose  pious  exhortations,  both  in  public  and  private, 
the  Crosby  family  ever  listened  with  pleased  and  devout 
attention.  "Is  it  because  the  parliament  of  Great  Brtiain 
has  been  graciously  pleased  to  exchange  our  handcuffs  for 
fetters?  Is  it  because  she  claims  the  power  and  right  to 
bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases  whatsoever?  Are  we  pre 
pared  for  this?  Shall  the  petty  island  of  Great  Britain, 
scarce  a  speck  on  the  map  of  the  world,  control  the  free 
citizens  of  the  great  continent  of  America?  God  forbid!" 

"I  believe,  sir,"  replied  the  elder  Crosby,  "that  we  are 
hallooing  before  we  are  fairly  out  of  the  woods.  Our  poli 
ticians  seem  to  overlook  the  degrading  condition  which  is 
tacked  to  this  boasted  repeal,  that  we  must  make  compen 
sation  to  those  who  have  suffered,  in  person  or  property, 
through  their  own  wilful  adherence  to  the  cause  of  our  op 
pressors.  If  we  submit  to  this  we  deserve  to  be  slaves." 

"It  appears  to  me,"  observed  the  village  schoolmaster, 
\*ho  happened  to  be  present,  and  who  was  strongly  sus 
pected  of  leaning  to  the  ministerial  side  of  the  question ; 
"it  appears  to  me,  that  if  we  look  at  this  subject  by  the  pure 
light  of  sober  reason,  and  not  by  the  illusive  flashes  of  ex 
cited  passion,  we  shall  see  the  propriety  of  waiving  all 


MEMOIRS  0*  ENOCH  CROSBY.  13 

debate  and  controversy ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  internal  peace, 
of  making  the  trifling  compensation  required.  It  cannot 
amount  to  much." 

"It  is  not  the  amount  of  the  sum  that  I  object  to,"  return 
ed  the  other.  "It  is  the  principle  that  I  am  contending  for. 
If  we  yield  in  one  point,  there  is  no  telling  how  far  their 
encroachments  may  extend ." 

t"Is  not  their  compliance  with  o«r  petitions  for  repealing 
e  stamp  act  an  evidence  of  their  respect  for  the  rights  of 
the  colonies?" 

"No,  sir,"  replied  the  clergyman.  "In  this  measure,  the 
ministry  have  not  been  so  much  actuated  by  principles  of 
equity,  as  impelled  by  necessity." 

"Necessity  I"  reiterated  the  pedagogue.  "To  me  it  ap 
pears  an  act  of  favour  and  lenity." 

"The  doctrine  of  submission,  passive  obedience,  and 
non-resistance,  may  do  very  well  in  the  discipline  of  your 
school,"  answered  Crosby ;  "but  I  hope  my  son  will  never 
imbibe,  from  you,  or  any  other  man,  such  sentiments  as  ap 
plied  in  politics." 

Here  the  conversation  terminated ;  and  Enoch,  who  was 
present,  did  not  feel  any  great  increase  rf  respect  towards 
his  preceptor  in  consequence :  nor  was  it  long  afterwards, 
that  his  father  placed  him  under  the  tuition  of  an  elderly 
gentleman,  of  superior  literary  acquirements,  whose  politi 
cal  sentiments  were  in  accordance  with  his  own.  As  this 
personage  will  again  appear  on  the  stage,  in  the  progress  of 
our  little  drama,  we  beg  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind  that  he 
is  not  only  a  "staunch  whig,"  but,  in  every  other  respect,  a 
worthy  man. 


20  THE    SPY   tTNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  II. 

LEAVING    HOME. 

'•Here,  as,  with  wearied  eteps,  I  bent  my  way, 
I  mark'd  each  dear  and  well-remembered  spot, 

Where  youth  had  buoyed  my  mind  with  visions  gsy, 
Nor  thought  I  then  how  hard  would  be  my  lot.1' 

AT  the  period  of  which  we  are  writing,  it  was  the  earnest 
wish  of  all  parties,  that  harmony  might  be  re-established 
between  Great  Britain  and  her  American  colonies.  The 
severities  of  the  British  government  "had  not  yet  taught 
(he  Colonists  to  express  themselves  in  any  other  modes  of 
language,  but  what  indicated  their  firm  attachment  to  the 
mother  country ;  nor  had  they  erased  the  habitual  ideas, 
even  of  tenderness,  conveyed  in  their  usual  modes  of  ex 
pression.  When  they  formed  a  design  to  visit  England,  it 
had  always  been  thus  announced,  'I  am  going  home.' 
Home,  the  seat  of  happiness,  the  retreat  of  all  the  felicities 
of  the  human  mind,  is  too  intimately  associated  with  the 
best  feelings  of  the  heart,  to  renounce  without  pain,  whe 
ther  applied  to  the  natural  or  the  political  parent."  (1) 

But  although  a  strong  desire  for  the  re-establishment  of 
harmony  was  manifested  by  persons  of  every  description, 
there  still  existed  a  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  best 
means  of  producing  so  desirable  a  result.  "There  were 
several  classes  in  America,  who  were  at  first  exceedingly 
opposed  to  measures  that  militated  with  the  designs  of  ad 
ministration.  Some,  impressed  by  lo  g  connexion,  were 
intimidated  by  her  power,  and  attached  by  affection  to 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  21 

Britain:  others,  tha  true  disciples  of  passive  obedience, 
had  real  scruples  of  conscience  with  regard  to  any  resis 
tance  to  'the  powers  that  be:'  these,  whether  actuated  by 
affection  or  fear,  by  principle  or  interest,  formed  a  close 
combination  with  the  colonial  governors,  custom-house  offi 
cers,  and  all  insubordinate  departments  who  hung  on  the 
court  for  subsistence."  (2) 

The  partizan  distinction  of  whig  and  tory  was  adopted 
at  an  early  stage  of  the  controversy,  and  introduced  in  ev 
ery  political  altercation  to  which  it  gave  rise.  It  was  no 
uncommon  occurrence  for  members  of  the  same  family, 
not  only  to  espouse  opposite  sides  of  the  question,  but  to 
defend  the  stand  they  had  taken  with  a  zeal  and  pertinaci 
ty  that  ultimately  sundered  the  tenderest  ties  of  consan 
guinity.  Thus,  as  the  general  ferment  increased,  the  fa 
ther  was  often  arrayed  "against  the  son,  and  the  son  against 
the  father;"  brothers  became  implacable  enemies  to  each 
other;  and  even  the  fair  sex  were  not  unfrequently  in 
volved  in  this  frightful  whirlpool  of  political  contention. 

Fortunately  for  the  subject  cf  these  memoirs,  and  happi 
ly  for  his  country,  his  father's  family,  to  adopt  his  own  ex 
pression,  were  "staunch  whigs;"so  was  a  majority  of  their 
t'ellow-townsmen,  particularly  the  good  clergyman,  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Gregory,  before  mentioned.  Indeed,  the  clergy 
of  every  denomination,  throughout  the  country,  with  very 
few  exceptions,  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  colonies; 
and  embraced  every  opportunity,  both  in  public  and  private, 
of  exhorting  their  flocks  manfully  to  resist  every  encroach 
ment  on  their  rights  as  freemen.  Their  influence  was  great, 
and  its  effects  such  as  might  have  been  expected.  (3) 

The  attention  cf  the  elder  Crosby,  however,  and  that  of 
his  amiable  family,  were,  for  a  time,  diverted  from  political 
difficulties  by  dom-stic  misfortunes.  From  a  state  of  com- 


~'<  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

fort  and  comparative  affluence,  he  suddenly  found  himself 
reduced  to  poverty  and  distress.  (4)  This  unexpected  re 
verse  of  fortune  rendered  it  necessary  for  the  son,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  to  leave,  for  the  first  time,  the  shelter  of  his 
paternal  roof,  and  seek  his  own  fortune  in  an  untried  world. 

The  painful  sensations  incidental  to  the  parting  of  an 
affectionate  child  from  indulgent  parents,  and  the  home  o 
his  childhood,  are  seldom  forgotten  by  the  parties  concerned ; 
but  in  the  present  instance^  their  impression  was  left  with 
a  vividness  of  colouring  which  the  lapse  of  more  than  sixty 
years  have  not  been  able  to  obliterate.  In  reverting  to  this 
incident,  at  the  age  of  seventy-eight,  the  subject  of  this 
memoir  expressed  himself,  in  substance,  as  follows: 

"At  the  age  of  sixteen  the  scene  changed,  and  I  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  home  of  my  childhood,  to  seek  the 
protection  of  strangers,  and  depend  upon  my  own  exertions 
for  support.  With  the  scanty  outfit  of  a  change  of  clothes 
and  a  few  shillings  in  my  pocket,  [  bade  a  long  adieu  to  the 
friends  I  best  loved,  and  the  scenes  of  my  happiest  days. 
After  receiving  the  blessings  of  my  parents,  with  much 
good  advice,  and  a  small  bible,  which  they  assured  me 
would  prove  rny  greatest  consolation  in  every  trial  and  af 
fliction  that  might  befal  me,  I  shouldered  my  pack*  clasped 
their  hands  in  silence — for  I  dared  not  trust  my  voice  to  say 
'farewell!' — and  hastened  away,  leaving  my  poor  mother 
in  an  agony  of  tears. 

"I  proceeded  a  short  distance,  with  a  burden  at  my  heart 
much  heavier  than  the  one  on  my  back.  I  then  paused,  and 
cast  back  a  'longing  lingering  look,1  on  the  spot  thatl  could 
once  call  my  home — but  now  no  longer  a  home  for  me.  I 
then  resumed  my  march,  and  after  proceeding  a  little  fur 
ther,  again  turned ;  when,  for  the  last  time,  I  saw  my  weep 
ing  mother  through  the  window,  gazing  with  streaming  eyes. 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH   CROSBY.  23 

after  her  exiled  son.  I  hurried  away — I  could  not  look 
again  The  hills  which  surrounded  the  beloved  mansion 
soon  hid  it  from  my  view,  and  I  felt  myself  alone  in  the 
world,  cut  off  from  all  that  I  held  dear;  while  the  future 
appeared  like  a  dark  impenetrable  cloud,  scarcely  illumined 
by  a  ?ay  of  hope." 

Painful  as  these  sensations  must  have  been  to  a  youth 
in  his  circumstances,  they  were  soon  dissipated  by  the  no 
velty  ever  attendant  on  a  change  of  scene  and  associations. 
He  became  an  apprentice  to  a  worthy  man  who  resided  in 
the  Eastern  part  of  Phillipstown,  since  called  Kent,  in  the 
county  of  Putnam.  Here  he  was  taught  the  "art  and  mys 
tery  of  cordwainer,"  and  faithfully  fulfilled  his  term  of  ser 
vice,  which  terminated  on  the  fourth  day  of  January,  1771, 
that  day  completing  his  twenty-first  year. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  during  all  this  pe 
riod  he  was  an  unconcerned  spectator  of  the  political  move 
ments  around  him.  Far  from  it,  The  sentiments  which 
he  had  imperceptibly  imbibed  in  childhood,  "grew  with 
his  growth,  and  strengthened  with  his  strength,"  and  now 
began  to  flow  out  into  effective  operation.  Although  mili 
tary  discipline  had  for  several  years  been  almost  totally 
neglected,  it  now  began  to  assume  a  more  respectable  atti 
tude.  New  trainbands  were  organized,  in  one  of  which 
young  Crosby  soon  became  an  active  and  efficient  member; 
and  he  largely  shared  in  the  prevailing  impression,  that  a 
most  important  crisis  was  fast  approaching,  for  which  it  was 
the  duty  of  every  lover  of  his  country  to  be  duty  and  pro 
perly  prepared.  Nor  was  this  impression  weakened  by  as 
incident  which  occurred  in  the  last  yeai;  of  his  minority 
an  incident  which  forms  a  conspicuous  chapter  in  the  his 
tory  of  those  times.  We  meaii  the  massacre,  in  cold  blood, 
of  several  citizens  in  the  streets  of  Boston,  by  the  British 


24  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OK 

soldiery.  This  wanton  act  of  barbarity  was  perpetrated 
in  open  day,  on  the  5th  of  March,  1770. 

No  previous  outrage  had  produced  such  a  general  alarm 
as  the  one  here  alluded  to.  "Yet  the  accident  that  created 
a  resentment  which  emboldened  the  timid,  determined  the 
wavering,  and  awakened  an  energy  and  decision  that  nei 
ther  the  artifices  of  the  courtier,  nor  the  terror  of  the 
sword,  could  easily  overcome,  arose  from  a  trivial  circum 
stance  *. 

"A  sentinel,  posted  at  the  door  of  the  custom-house,  had 
seized  and  abused  a  boy,  for  casting  some  opprobrious  re 
flections  on  an  officer  of  rank;  his  cries  collected  a  number 
of  other  lads,  who  took  the  childish  revenge  of  pelting  the 
soldier  with  snow-balls.  The  main  guard,  stationed  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  custom-house,  was  informed  by  some 
persons  from  thence,  of  the  rising  tumult.  They  imme 
diately  turned  out  under  the  command  of  a  Captain  Pres 
ton,  and  beat  to  arms.  The  cry  of  fire  was  raised  in  all 
parts  of  the  town;  the  mob  collected,  and  the  soldiery,  from 
all  quarters,  ran  through  the  streets,  sword  in  hand,  threat 
ening  and  wounding  the  people,  and  with  every  appear 
ance  of  hostility  they  rushed  furiously  to  the  centre  of  the 
town,. 

"The  soldiers,  thus  ready  for  execution,  and  the  populace 
grown  outrageous,  the  whole  town  was  justly  terrified  by 
unusual  alarm.  This  naturally  drew  out  persons  of  higher 
condition  and  more  peaceably  disposed,  to  inquire  the 
cause.  Their  consternation  can  scarcely  be  described, 
when  they  found  orders  were  given  to  fire  promiscuously 
among  the  unarmed  multitude.  Five  or  six  persons  fell 
at  the  first  fire,  and  several  more  were  dangerously  woun 
ded  at  their  own  doors.*'  (5) 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  ZO 

"How  slightly  soever  historians  may  pass  over  this  event, 
the  blood  of  the  martyrs,  right  or  wrong,  proved  to  be  the 
'seeds  of  the  congregation?  Not  the  battle  of  Lexington 
or  Bunker's  Hill;  not  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  or  Corn- 
wallis,  were  more  important  events  in  American  histo 
ry,  than  the  battle  of  King-street,  on  the  5th  of  March, 
1770."  (6) 

The  immediate  result  of  this  outrage  is  well  known. 
Captain  Preston  and  his  party  were  taken  into  custody  of 
a  civil  magistrate,  tried  for  murder,  and  acquitted ;  and 
all  the  royal  troops  were  subsequently  removed  from  the 
town  to  the  fort  about  three  miles  below.  But  the  indig 
nant  feelings  which  it  had  created  in  every  patriotic  bos  >m 
were  not  to  be  appeased.  The  blood  of  their  brethren  cried 
from  the  ground  for  vengeance,  and  the  appeal  was  felt  in 
every  secti  >n  jf  the  country.  Like  other  young  men  of 
his  age,  Etvjch  Crosby  ardently  longed  for  an  opportunity 
to  mingle  the  -jJ,>od  of  the  assassin  with  that  of  their,  victims, 
But  the  hour  ha,dnot  yet  come.  (7) 

3 


THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    FIRST    CAMPAIGN. 

"O,  who,  reclined  in  dastard  ease, 

Could  hear  his  country's  call  in  vain: 
Or  view  her  banner  court  the  breeze, 

Nor  sigh  to  join  the  hostile  train." 

Wcodicorth. 

As  we  are  not  writing  a  history  of  the  rise  and  progress 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  but  merely  the  memoirs  of  a  pri 
vate  individual  who  took  an  active  part  in  that  momentous 
contest,  it  is  only  requisite  to  give  a  brief  detail  of  such 
events  as  are  connected,  more  or  less  remotely,  with  his  own 
transactions. 

The  destruction  of  the  tea  in  Boston,  (1)  the  consequent 
port-bill,  (2)  as  it  was  called,  the  formation  of  a  continen 
tal  Congress,  and  the  arrival  of  General  Gage  with  an 
army  to  reduce  the  "refractory  colonists"  to  submission, 
are  prominent  features  in  the  history  of  four  years,  from  the 
period  of  our  last  chapter.  But  events  of  still  greater 
importance  were  at  hand,  and  anticipated  with  trembling 
anxiety. 

Among  the  "signs  of  the  times,"  was  the  newly-awaken 
ed  military  ardour  which  prevailed  throughout  the  colonies, 
more  especially  in  the  Eastern  states.  In  almost  every 
town,  a  certain  quota  of  hardy  youth  were  draughted  from 
the  militia  trainbands,  who  voluntarily  devoted  a  daily  por 
tion  of  their  time  to  improve  themselves  in  the  military 
art,  under  officers  of  their  own  choice.  These  were  styled 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  21 

n minute-men"  and  stood  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's 
warning,  to  defend  the  rights  of  their  countrymen. 

At  this  period,  the  younger  Crosby  resided  at  Danbury, 
in  the  state  of  Connecticut,-  and  though  it  was  not  his  for 
tune  to  be  draughted  as  a  minute-man,  he  was  still  actuated 
by  the  same  martial  spirit  which  inspired  the  rest  of  his 
countrymen.  The  year  1775  had  opened  without  the  oc 
currence  of  any  incident  of  much  political  importance: 
but  while  thousands  of  bosoms  were  throbbing  with  feelings 
of  intense  interest,  every  eye  was  directed  to  the  capital 
of  Massachusetts  as  the  quarter  from  whence  momentous 
intelligence  might  be  hourly  expected. 

The  public  mind  was  in  this  state  of  feverish  suspense, 
when,  in  the  month  of  April,  an  express  arrived  at  Danbu 
ry,  with  intelligence  that  "upwards  of  four-score  of  Ajner- 
icans  had  been  inhumanly  butchered  on  the  plains  of  Lex 
ington,  (3)  by  a  detachment  of  the  British  army,  which 
had  afterwards  been  put  to  flight  by  a  few  raw  country 
militia.  That  houses  had  been  rifled,  plundered,  and  burnt ; 
that  neither  sex,  age,  nor  infirmity,  had  been  respected  by 
these  ruthless  marauders;  and  that  women,  with  their  new 
born  infants,  had  been  compelled  to  fly  naked,  to  escape 
the  fury  of  the  flames  in  which  their  houses  were  enwrap 
ped  I"  (4) 

The  sensation  produced  by  this  intelligence  not  only  at 
Danbury,  but  in  every  other  place,  can  be  better  conceived 
than  described.  The  shock  was  electric,  and  the  whole 
country  flew  to  arms.  (5) 

"They  heard — and  the  plough  in  the  furrrow  was  stay'd, 
Each  art  was  relinquished  for  musket  and  blade; 
The  pipe  of  the  swain  in  the  valley  was  still, 
While  the  bugle  rang  loud  from  each  fortified  hill." 


28  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Within  twenty-four  hours  after  the  routed  "regulars*' had 
regained  the  protection  of  their  shipping,  the  town  of  Bos 
ton  was  invested  by  several  thousands  of  our  exasperated 
countrymen;  while  the  colonies  of  Connecticut,  Rhode 
Island,  and  New-Hampshire,  seemed  all  to  be  in  motion. 
Indeed,  "such  was  the  resentment  of  the  people,  and  the 
ardor  of  enterprise,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  they  were 
restrained  from  rushing  into  Boston,  and  rashly  involving 
their  friends,  in  common  with  their  enemies,  in  all  the  ca 
lamities  of  a  town  taken  by  storm."  (6) 

The  outrage  at  Lexington  occurred  on  Wednesday,  the 
19th  of  April;  but  the  news  did  not  reach  the  city  of  New- 
York  until  late  on  Saturday  evening,  nor  was  it  generally 
known  until  Sunday  morning.  A  meeting  of  the  citizens 
immediately  took  place;  who,  without  much  ceremony, 
seized  upwards  of  five  hundred  stands  of  muskets  and  bay 
onets  belonging  to  his  Britannic  majesty. 

On  the  following  day,  the  keys  of  the  custom-house  were 
secured  by  thewhigs;  who  soon  made  themselves  masters 
of  all  the  public  stores  in  the  king's  ware-houses  in  the  city 
and  at  Turtle  Bay. 

At  this  time  there  were  about  three  hundred  regular 
British  troops  in  the  city,  commanded  by  a  Major;  and  very 
serious  apprehensions  were  entertained,  that  the  confused 
and  disorderly  manner  in  which  the  foregoing  transactions 
were  conducted,  would  produce  a  rupture  between  the  sol 
diers  and  the  populace.  A  regular  general  meeting  of  the 
citizens  was  therefore  called,  and  a  committee  of  fifty  ap 
pointed,  who  were  invested  with  full  powers  to  act  as  the 
exigency  and  circumstances  of  the  times  might  req  :ire. 
At  this  meeting  a  set  of  spirited  resolutions  were  passed, 
and  .signed  by  the  citizens  at  ar^e,  in  which  they  sledged 
themselves,  their  lives,  and  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred 


ME3IOIRS    OF   ENOCH    CROSBY.  29 

honor,  to  support  their  committee  in  all  its  operations,  and 
also  every  measure  of  the  general  congress,  then  in  session 
at  Philadelphia. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  committee,  was  an  order  per 
mitting  the  British  troops  to  depart  without  interruption, 
taking  with  them  their  arms  and  accoutrements.  In  conse 
quence  of  this  order,  the  troops  prepared  to  embark  on  the 
following  day;  when  it  was  observed  that  they  had  several 
carts  loaded  with  spare  arms.  Marinus  Willett,  and  some 
others,  immediately  resolved  to  prevent  this  virtual  infrac 
tion  of  their  agreement ;  and  meeting  the  troops  in  Broad 
way,  stopped  them,  and  without  much  difficulty  took  posses 
sion  of  their  spare  arms.  With  these  Willett  formed  a  new 
company  of  his  own  raising,  with  which  he  joined  the  first 
Canadian  expedition. 

The  citizens  of  Danbury  were  not  backward  in  this  mo 
ment  of  general  excitement.  (7)  A  rendezvous  was  opened, 
te  which  the  youth  of  the  country  flocked  from  every  quar 
ter;  and  two  regiments  were  immediately  raised,  one  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  (afterward  General)  Wooster,  and 
the  other  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Waterbury.  With 
in  a  few  hours  of  the  arrival  of  the  express  at  Danbury, 
the  name  of  Enoch  Crosby  was  inscribed  on  the  muster-roll 
of  Captain  Benedict,  followed  by  those  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  young  men,  all  residents  of  that  town;  forming  the 
most  efficient  company  in  Waterbury 's  regiment.  (8) 

As  soon  as  these  regiments  were  duly  organized,  equip 
ped,  and  reported  to  the  provincial  congress  of  Massachu- 
se-ts,  then  in  session  at  Watertown,  (9)  they  impatiently 
waited  for  orders  to  move  and  act  in  defence  of  their  Eas 
tern  brethren.  Nor  was  their  impatience  abated  by  the 
successes  of  their  enterprising  neighbours  at  Ticonderoga 
and  Crown  Point,  on  the  10th  of  May  following;  (10)  but 

3* 


30  THE   SPY    UNMASKED;    OR 

on  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Bunker-Hill  (11)  it  was  wrought 
up  to  a  pitch  of  painful  intensity.  Every  man  longed  to  be 
in  the  field,  and  share  in  the  dangers  and  glory  that  await 
ed  the  champions  of  liberty.  This  patriotic  ardour  was 
shortly  to  be  gratified. 

The  continental  congress  was  now  in  session  at  Philadel 
phia;  and,  at  this  period,  the  importance  of  possessing  the 
Canadas,  strongly  impressed  the  minds  of  gentlemen  of  the 
first  penetration,  private  citizens  as  well  as  the  representa 
tives  of  the  several  colonies,  in  that  august  legislative  body. 
It  was  thought  a  favorable  crisis  to  make  the  attempt 
"when  the  flower  of  the  British  troops,  then  in  America, 
were  shut  up  in  Boston;  and  when  the  governors  of  the 
Southern  provinces  interrupted  in  their  negociations  with 
the  Indians,  had  taken  refuge  on  board  the  king's  ships, 
either  from  real  or  imagined  personal  danger."  (12)  It  was, 
therefore,  determined  to  employ  Colonel  Waterbury's  regi 
ment,  together  with  two  regiments  of  New-York  militia,  in 
this  important  and  hazardous  service;  the  whole  force  con 
sisting  of  about  three  thousand  men,  under  the  command  of 
Generals  Schuyler  and  Montgomery. 

The  reader  may  easily  imagine  with  what  alacrity  our 
hero  and  his  fellow-soldiers  obeyed  the  orders  of  their  supe 
riors,  to  "strike  their  tents  and  march  away."  The  Ian 
guage  of  each  heart  was, 

''Strike  up  the  drums;  and  let  the  tongue  of  war 
Plead  for  our  interest." 

They  were  ordered  to  the  city  of  New- York,  where  they 
were  joined  by  the  New-York  militia,  one  corps  of  which 
was  commanded  by  the  gallant  Willet;  but  encamped  about 
two  miles  out  of  town,  near  the  spot  now  occupied  as 
Vauxhall  garden.  (13)  After  remaining  in  this  position 


MEMOIRS  OP  ENOCH    CROSBY.  31 

about  three  weeks,  they  removed  to  Harlaem,  and  en 
camped  in  the  village.  From  thence  they  took  boats,  and 
proceeded  up  the  Hudson  "to  Albany,  on  their  way  to  Lake 
Champlain. 

General  Schuyler  being  detained  at  Albany,  for  the 
purpose  of  negociating  an  Indian  treaty,  his  coadjutor,  the 
intrepid  Montgomery,  led  on  his  gallant  band  of  patriots 
to  Ticonderoga,  where  they  arrived  on  the  twenty-first 
day  of  August.(14)  As  soon  as  a  sufficient  number  of 
boats  could  be  provided  to  convey  the  army  do%n  Lake 
Champlain,  they  embarked  for  Isle  aux  Noix,  lying  about 
eleven  miles  north  of  the  lake,  in  the  river  Sorel,  wkich 
connects  the  waters  of  Champlain  with  that  of  the  St. 
Law.rence.  On  reaching  Isle  La  Motte,  they  were  re 
joined  by  General  Schuyler,  who  had  prepared  an  address 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Canada,  inviting  them  to  join  the 
standard  of  liberty,  and  unite  in  the  common  cause  of 
America, 

From  Isle  aux  Noix,  the  army  proceeded  to  St.  Johns,  the 
first  British  post  in  Canada. (15)  Daring  their  passage 
down  the  river,  the  soldiers  were  directed  to  hold  themselves 
constantly  in  readiness  for  defence,  as  it  was  reasonably  ap 
prehended  that  they  might  be  assailed  by  the  Indians  from 
the  woods  which  skirted  the  stream. 

On  effecting  a  landing,  at  a  short  distance  from  Fort  St. 
Johns,  the  assailants,  about  one  thousand  in  number,  im 
mediately  formed  in  full  view  of  the  garrison,  and  prepared 
for  hostile  operations.  Their  movements,  at  this  juncture, 
are  thus  described  by  Crosby  himself: 

"We  were  now  in  full  view  of  the  enemy,  who  kept  up 
a  constant  cannonading,  which  only  caused  us  to  dodge 
now  and  then,  merely  serving  to  get  us  into  a  fighting 
mood.  We  were  soon  ordered  to  advance;  but  had  only 


32  THE  SPY   UNMASKED;   OR 

proceeded  a  few  roods,  when  we  were  suddenly  attacked 
by  a  body  of  Indians  in  ambush;  who,  after  a  short  con 
test,  were  glad  to  show  us  a  specimen  of  their  speeu  in 
running. (16) 

"Our  sport,  however,  was  soon  interrupted  by  an  order 
to  halt! — when,  after  burying  the  dead  and  providing  for 
the  wounded,  a  council  of  war  was  held  by  the  officers, 
in  which  it  was  determined  to  return  to  Isle  aux  Noix, 
throw  a  boom  across  the  channel,  and  erect  works  for  its 
defence. 

"In  the  mean  time,  a  breastwork  was  ordered  to  be 
thrown  up  on  the  spot  where  we  stood;  and  accordingly 
every  one  went  to  work  with  alacrity.  While  some  were 
felling  trees  and  preparing  timber  for  this  purpose,  and 
others  throwing  up  the  earth  to  form  a  parapet,  we  were 
constantly  annoyed  by  the  shells  thrown  from  the  fort. — 
This  circumstance  tended  to  retard  our  operations;  for 
when  a  shell  rose  in  the  air,  every  one  would  stop  working 
to  watch  its  course,  and  ascertain  if  it  would  fall  near  him. 
I  must  confess  that  I  felt  no  particular  affection  for  these 
unwelcome  intruders,  but  rather  regarded  them  as  'mes 
sengers  of  evil;'  still,  however,  notwithstanding  the  cold 
,  reception  which  I  gave  these  warm-hearted  visiters,  I 
never  thought  of  the  fashionable  expedient  of  'not  being 
at  home,'  (in  other  words,  of  'dodging  them,'')  until  I  heard 
some  one  exclaim,  'Look  out! — take  care  there!  when  T 
looked  up,  and  saw  one  descending  towards  the  very  spot 
where  1  was  standing.  I  threw  myself  flat  on  the  ground, 
and  it  just  passed  over  me.  'A  miss  is  as  good  as  a  mile,' 
thought  I,  as  I  sprang  up  from  my  recumbent  posture,  and 
resumed  my  labour.  But  after  that  I  kept  one  eye  upon 
the  enemy. 


MEMOIRS   OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  33 

"Our  general,  however,  gave  us  some  instructions  on 
this  subject.  He  advised  us  never  to  change  our  position 
until  the  shell  was  directly  over  us;  and  if  it  should  then 
appear  that  it  had  lost  its  projectile  force,  and  was  falling, 
'it  would  be  well  enough  to  step  on  one  side.1  He  was  a 
noble  fellow,  that  Montgomery. (17)  Every  soldier  in  the 
army  loved  him  like  a  brother. 

"When  the  breastwork  was  completed,  which  was  in 
a  much  shorter  time  than  might  have  been  expected,  con 
sidering  the  circumstances  under  which  we  laboured,  we 
prepared  for  a  retreat;  as  this  show  of  hostility  was  merely 
a  finesse  to  divert  the  enemy's  attention.  As  soon  as  night 
set  in,  and  every  object  was  shrouded  .in  darkness,  we 
were  ordered  to  decamp  with  as  little  noise  as  possible. — 
We  accordingly  took  our  boats,  and  returned  up  the  river, 
leaving  the  enemy  to  wonder  at  our  sudden  and  mysterious 
exit.  On  the  following  day,  we  reached  Isle  aux  Noix, 
where  we  remained  two  weeks,  waiting  for  reinforce 
ments." 

Soon  after  this  event,  an  extreme  bad  state  of  health  in 
duced  General  Schuyler  to  retire  to  Ticonderoga,  and  the 
sole  command  devolved  on  General  Montgomery.  Imme 
diately  on  the  arrival  of  his  expected  reinforcement,  this 
intrepid  and  enterprising  officer  returned  to  the  vicinity  of 
St.  Johns,  and  opened  a  battery  against  it  on  the  seven 
teenth  day  of  September.  "Ammunition,  however,  was  so 
scarce,  that  the  siege  could  not  be  carried  on  with  any 
prospect  of  speedy  success.  The  General,  therefore,  de 
tached  a  small  body  of  troops  to  attempt  the  reduction  of 
fort  Chamblee,  only  six  miles  distant  Success  attended 
this  enterprise;  and,  by  its  surrender,  six  tons  of  gunpowder 
Were  obtained,  which  enabled  the  Oeneral  to  prosecute  the 
siege  of  St.  Johns  with  vigour.  The  garrison,  though  strait 


34  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

ened  for  provisions,  persevered  in  defending  themselves 
with  unabating  fortitude."(18) 

The  severe  duties  of  so  arduous  a  campaign;  the  fre 
quent  skirmishes,  marches,  and  counter-marches,  and  con 
stant  exposure  to  sudden  changes  of  weather,  in  the  incle 
ment  month  of  October,  were  not  without  their  effects  on 
the  health  of  the  sol  iers.  .Among  others,  Crosby  was 
seized  with  a  severe  indisposition,  and  removed  to  the  hos 
pital  at  Isle  aux  Noix.  But  his  impatience  to  share  in  the 
dangers  and  and  glory  of  the  approaching  contest,  would 
not  permit  him  to  remain  under  the  surgeon's  hands  but  a 
few  days,  when  he  returned  to  the  army,  in  direct  opposi 
tion  to  the  wishes  of  his  medical  adviser.  In  relating  this 
incident,  Mr.  Crosby  says— - 

"I  returned  against  the  surgeon's  advice,  and  contrary  to 
the  expectations  of  my  Captain ;  for  as  the  time  for  which 
we  had  enlisted  had  nearly  expired,  he  had  no  idea  that 
any  of  us  invalids  would  rejoin  the  army.  As  soon  as  he 
saw  me,  he  accosted  me  in  a  tone  of  unaffected  surprise: 
'Halloo,  Crosby!  Have  you  got  back?  What  induced 
you  to  return  before  your  health  was  restored;  I  never  ex 
pected  to  sec  you  here  again;  so  you  might  as  well  have 
gone  home.  You  have 'not  had  time  to  get  well;  for  you 
look  more  like  a  scarecrow  than  a  soldier  fit  for  duty.'— 
I  replied,  that  I  wished  to  be  with  him;  and  that  if  I  was 
not  able  tojight,  I  might  at  least  frighten  the  enemy,  as  he 
thought  I  looked  like  a  scarecrow.  At  this  remark  he 
laughed  heartily,  and  told  me,  that  if  I  wished  so  much  to 
fight,  that  I  should  soon  be  gratified.  Accordingly,  in  the 
course  of  the  day  we  had  a  severe  engagement,  in  which 
we  proved  victorious;  and,  to  my  great  satisfaction,  I  was 
one  of  the  number  that  marched  into  the  fort  to  the  tune  of 
Yankee  Doodle,  and  took  charge  of  the  prisoners."(19) 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH  CHOSBY.  35 

Our  invalid  soon  recovered  his  health,  and  continued  in 
the  service  until  the  army  took  possession  of  Montreal, 
which  they  did,  without  resistance,  on  the  twelfth  of  No 
vember.  His  term  of  enlistment  having  now  expired,  he 
proposed  to  return,  once  more,  to  the  tranquil  scenes  of 
his  childhood.  He  was  warmly  solicited  by  his  comman 
dant  to  remain  with  the  army,  and  even  promised  promo 
tion  if  he  would  comply;  but  being  strongly  impressed 
with  the  idea  that  a  more  extensive  field  for  usefulness 
would  soon  be  opened  in  the  vicinity  of  New-York,  he 
persisted  in  his  intention  of  leaving  the  army.  In  com 
pany  with  several  others,  whose  term  had  also  expired, 
(having  enlisted  for  six  months  only,)  he  embarked  in  a 
small  schooner  for  Crown  Point,(20)  where  he  arrived 
about  the  1st  of  December. 

"From  thence,  (says  he,)  our  little  party  proceeded  on 
foot  to  Ticonderoga,  where  we  procured  a  small  boat,  and 
rowed  up  the  river  which  connects  Lake  George  with 
Champlain.  On  reaching  the  falls,  however,  we  were 
compelled  to  draw  our  boat  on  shore,  and  drag  it  on  the 
ground,  across  a  neck  of  land  about  a  mile  in  width.  In 
this  manner,  with  immense  labour  and  fatigue,  and  suffer 
ing  greatly  from  the  inclemency  of  the  season,  we  reached 
Sabbath-day  Point,(21)  in  Lake  George.  Here,  however, 
no  friendly  shelter  awaited  us;  and  though,  almost  perish 
ing  with  cold,  we  could  obtain  no  better  quarters  than  an  old 
pig-stye.  This  miserable  substitute  for  a  tent  was  soon 
filled  with  brush  and  straw;  when,  with  wet  feet  and  shiv 
ering  bodies,  (all  of  us  being  thinly  clad,)  we  laid  ourselves 
down  to  rest  from  the  fatigues  of  the  day." 

At  early  dawn  on  the  following  morning,  this  intrepid 
little  party  resumed  their  unpleasant  journey;  and  after 
several  days  of  fatigue  and  suffering,  without  meeting  any 


36  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

remarkable  adventure,  at  length   reached  their  respective 
homes  in  safety. 

After  a  few  weeks  repose  had  restored  Crosby  to  his 
usual  health  and  strength,  he  resumed  the  peaceful  occu 
pation  of  shoe-making,  in  his  former  situation  at  Danbury. 
Here  he  continued  until  the  25th  of  January,  1776,  when 
a  sudden  gloom  was  spread  over  the  whole  country,  by 
the  disastrous  news  that  his  beloved  General,  the  brave  and 
amiable  Montgomery,  had  fallen  before  the  walls  of  Quebec, 
on  the  last  day  of  December.  Even  at  this  distant  period^ 
(1828,)  Mr.  Crosby  cannot  speak  on  this  subject  without 
emotion.  The  soldiers  almost  adored  Montgomery;  and 
there  was  scarcely  an  individual  that  had  ever  served  under 
under  him,  but  shed  tears  for  his  untime  y  fate.  Crosby 
was  so  much  affected  on  first  hearing  of  the  melancholy 
event,  that  he  found  it  difficult  to  pursue  an  occupation  that 
gave  so  much  opportunity  for  painful  reflections;  he,  there-r 
fore,  sought  relief  in  change  of  scenery,  and  paid  a  visit  to 
his  friends  in  Kent,  where  we  will  leave  him  for  the  present, 
while  we  take  a  glance  at  the  state  of  the  country,  on  the 
opening  of  the  eventful  year  1776.  In  doing  this,  we  shall 
discover  the  causes  which  prompted  the  subject  of  ihip 
memoir  to  assume  a  new  character  in  the  revolutionary 
drama— that  of  a  3PY  on  the  "Neutral  Ground," 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  37 


CHAPTER 

THE    TORIES. 

Know,  villains,  when  such  paltry  slaves  presume 
To  mix  in  treason,  if  the  plot  succeeds, 
They're  thrown  neglected  by;  but  if  it  fails, 
They're  sure  to  die  like  dogs,  as  you  shall  do. 

Jlddison, 

THE  winter  of  1775 — 6,  passed  tardily  away,  and  no 
military  movements  of  consequence  were  made  on  either 
side.  The  British  troops  remained  shut  up  in  Boston, 
under  the  command  of  General  William  Howe,  the  per 
fidious  Gage  having  sailed  for  England  The  continental 
army  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston  was  rapidly  decreasing  by 
the  expiration  of  the  short  period  for  which  the  soldiers 
had  enlisted. (1)  Although  Congress  had  exerted  all  its 
energies  to  create  a  new  army,  still  the  recruiting  service 
went  on  very  slowly,  and  no  active  operations  were  at 
tempted  until  the  beginning  of  March,  when  a  threatened 
bombardment,  from  the  heights  of  Dorches(er,(2)  compelled 
General  Howe-  to  evacuate  Boston,  and  thus  relieved  the 
suffering  inhabitants  from  their  distress  and  privations. (3) 
The  British  army  was  hastily  embarked  on  board  the 
ships  and  transports  then  lying  in  the  harbour,  together 
with  a  host  of  tories  and  refugees!  who  claimed  the  pro 
tection  of  General  Howe,  and  abandoned  their  bleeding 
country.  The  fleet  proceeded  to  Halifax,  where  the 
loyal  fugitives  were  landed,  and  where  Howe  determined 
to  remain,  until  the  arrival  of  his  brother  from  England, 
4 


38  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

with  the  expected  reinforcements,  should  enable  him  to 
pursue  the  war  with  vigour. 

Immediately  after  this  joyful  event,  Washington  sent  on 
the  continental  army,  in  detachments,  to  New-York;  and 
as  soon  as  he  had  made  some  necessary  arrangements  for 
the  future  defence  of  the  eastern  states,  he  hastened  on 
himself,  and  made  every  possible  preparation  for  the  re 
ception  of  the  expected  enemy,  who  did  not  arrive  at  Sandy 
Hook  until  the  29th  of  June. 

After  waiting,  at  Halifax^  two  or  three  months,  for  the 
arrival  of  his  brother  Lord  Howe,  with  his  "motley  mer 
cenaries  from  Hesse,  Hanover,  and  Brunswick,"  Sir  Wil 
liam  became  impatient  of  delay,  and  set  sail  for  New  York, 
accompanied  by  Admiral  Shuldham.  Here,  however,  he 
found  the  continental  army  so  strongly  posted  on  Long 
Island  and  the  island  of  New- York,  that  he  did  not  imme 
diately  attempt  any  thing  of  consequence;  but  landed  his 
troops  at  Staten  Island,  and  there  awaited  the  arrival  of 
his  brother. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  declaration  of  INDEPENDENCE 
was  adopted  by  Congress  and  published  to  the  nation. — 
Four  days  after  its  passage,  it  was  read  to  the  army  at 
New-York,  by  wjSom  it  was  received  with  the  most  enthu 
siastic  demonstrations  of  joy.  A  leaden  statue  of  his 
Majesty  George  III.  was  immediately  thrown  down,  and 
run  into  bullets,  for  the  reception  of  Lord  Howe,  and  his 
host  of  mercenaries,  who  arrived  ten  days  afterwards,  with 
a  formidable  squadron. 

After  amusing,  or  rather  insulting  the  American  gov 
ernment  with  an  inadmissible  proposition  of  reconcilia 
tion,  the  enemy  made  preparations  to  act  with  vigour. — 
Having  been  joined  by  "the  repulsed  troops  from  the 
southward,(4)  and  the  broken  squadron  under  the  command 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY,  39 

of  Sir  Peter  Parker;  by  a  regiment  from  St.  Augustine, 
and  another  from  Pensacola;  also,  by  a  few  troops  from 
St.  Vincents,  some  small  additions  from  other  posts,  and  a 
considerable  party  of  lories  from  New- Jersey,  and  from 
the  environs  of  Philadelphia  and  New-York,  which,  by 
great  industry,  had  been  collected  and  embodied  by  Gov 
ernor  Tryon,"  the  whole  hostile  army  crossed  the  channel, 
and  landed  on  Long  Island,  where  they  were  posted,  in 
detachments,  on  the  south  side,  from  one  end  of  the  island 
to  the  otliir;  separated  from  the  American  army  by  a 
ridge  of  hills  covered  with  woods. 

Tryon,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  the  last  governor  who 
presided  at  New-York,  under  the  crown  of  England.  He 
had  formerly  been  governor  of  North  Carolina,  where  his 
severities  had  rendered  his  very  name  universally  detested. 
He;  of  course,  entered  with  great  zeal  into  all  the  mea 
sures  of  the  British  government;  and  endeavoured  with 
art,  influence,  and  intrigue,  (of  which  he  has  perfect 
master,)  to  induce  the  city  of  New- York,  and  the  inhabi 
tants  under  his  government,  to  submit  quietly,  and  not 
unite  with  the  other  colonies  in  their  plans  of  opposition. 
Failing  in  this  purpose,  and  becoming  apprehensive  for  his 
own  personal  safety,  he  left  the  seat  of  government,  and 
put  himself  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  tories,  whom  he  as 
sisted  in  butchering  their  fellow-countrymen,  and  commit 
ting  the  most  shocking  enormities  on  the  defenceless  in 
habitants  of  New-Jersey,  and  wherever  else  he  could 
penetrate.  He  constantly  held  out  such  flattering  induce- 
ments  for  these  wretches  to  join  him,  that  scarcely  a  day 
passed  without  his  receiving  recruits  from  some  quarter. 

At  this  period,  the  "Committee  of  Safety"  for  the  colony 
of  New-York,  consisted  of  Messrs.  Jay,  Platt,  Duer,  and 
Sackett ;  gentlemen  who  have  since  held  conspicuous  situ- 


40  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

ations  in  the  government  of  their  emancipated  country. 
It,  of  course  became  the  policy  of  this  committee  to  coun 
teract,  as  far  as  in  them  lay,  the  arts  and  intrigues  of 
the  wily  Tryon.  For  this  purpose,  they  exercised  the 
utmost  vigilance  to  prevent  the  lories  from  joining  the 
standard  of  the  enemy;  and  felt  perfectly  justified  in  re 
sorting  to  coercive  measures  to  effect  this  desirable  object. 
In  fact,  so  daring  had  become  their  opposition  and  out 
rages,  that  any  lenity  extended  towards  them  would  have 
been  cruelty  to  the  friends  of  liberty,  as  the  following  facts 
will  amply  demonstrate. 

A  gang  of  these  unprincipled  wretches,  who  had  asso 
ciated  in  New- York  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the  British 
army,  had  even  concerted  a  plan  to  assassinate  Washing 
ton,  and  some  other  officers;  and,  while  our  army  was 
engaged  with  the  enemy,  to  blow  up  the  magazines.  The 
mayor  of  the  city,  and  an  armourer  who  was  employed  in 
making  rifles  for  the  lories^  together  with  several  others, 
were  taken  into  custody  and  committed  to  prison.  The 
mayor,  on  examination,  confessed  that  he  had  received 
money  from  Tryon  to  pay  the  armourer  for  the  rifles. 
Two  of  Washington's  body-guards  were  confederates  in 
this  nefarious  scheme;  but  a  third,  to  whom  the  secret  was 
confided,  honestly  disclosed  the  information.  Several  of 
these  miscreants  were  tried  and  convicted,  and  two  or  three 
were  executed. 

About  the  same  time,  a  similar  plot  was  brought  to  light 
in  Albany  by  the  confession  of  two  tones.  Their  plan 
was  to  set  the  city  on  fire,  and  blow  up  the  magazine. 
In  consequence  of  this  premature  exposal,  some  of  the 
conspirators  were  apprehended,  and  the  meditated  plot 
fruslrated.(5) 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH   CROSBY.  41 

But  the  most  dangerous  and  culpable  of  these  internal 
enemies,  were  those  who  had  the  effrontery  and  address  to 
pass  themselves  off  for  whigs.  One  of  these  was  Dr. 
Benjamin  Church,  who  had  long  sustained  a  high  repu 
tation  as  a  patriot  and  a  son  of  liberty.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  house  of  representatives  of  Massachusetts, 
and  was  afterwards  appointed  surgeon-general  and  director 
of  the  hospitals.  Previous  to  the  evacuation  of  Boston, 
however,  he  was  detected  in  a  traitorous  correspondence 
with  the  enemy;  tried,  convicted,  and  expelled  from  the 
house  of  representatives,  and  ordered  to  be  "closely  con 
fined  in  some  secure  jail  in  Connecticut,  without  the  use 
of  pen,  ink,  or  paper;  and  that  no  person  be  allowed  to 
converse  with  him,  except  in  the  presence  and  hearing  of 
a  magistrate,  or  the  sheriff  of  the  county,"  After  all  this, 
however,  he  was  finally  permitted  to  depart  from  the 
country.  He  and  his  family  embarked  for  the  West 
Indies;  but  the  vessel  foundered  at  sea,  and  all  were 
lost.(G) 

A  man  by  the  name  of  Ledwitz,  who,  by  his  own  soli 
citation,  had  been  appointed  Lieutenant-colonel  in  the  con 
tinental  army,  was  also  detected  in  a  traitorous  corres 
pondence  with  the  infamous  Tryon.  He  intrusted  his 
letter  to  one  Steen,  an  honest  German,  to  be  conveyed  to 
New-York ;  but  considering  it  his  duty  to  expose  the  per 
fidy,  the  messenger  delivered  it  to  Washington.  By  this 
criminal  act  the  perfidious  wretch  had  forfeited  his  life, 
according  to  the  articles  of  war;  but,  on  his  trial  by  a 
court-martial,  his  life  was  saved  by  the  casting  vote  of  a 
militia  officer,  who  pretended  some  scruples  of  conscience! 
He  was,  however,  cashiered,  and  declared  incapable  of 
holding  any  military  office  in  the  American  service.(T) 


42  THE    SPY  UNMASKED;    OR 

But  it  is  unnecessary  to  multiply  instances.  Enough 
has  been  said  to  show  that  the  tories  were  the  most  insidi 
ous,  virulent,  and  implacable  enemies,  with  which  the 
friends  of  liberty  had  to  contend  in  the  fearful  struggle 
which  secured  the  independence  of  these  United  States. 
Internal  secret  enemies  are  always  more  dangerous  than 
open  avowed  foes  in  the  field ;  and  it  ought  to  be  consid 
ered  as  a  signal  and  remarkable  interposition  of  divine 
Providence,  that  their  vile  machinations  were  so  frequently 
defeated.  But  Providence  always  operates  by  instruments ; 
and  among  the  most  efficient,  patriotic,  disinterested  and 
successful  agents,  in  counteracting  the  meditated  treachery 
and  machinations  of  internal  secret  enemies,  was  Enoch 
Crosby;  as  will  be  sufficiently  shown  in  the  following 
pages. 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  43 


CHAPTER  V. 

SECRET    SERVICES. 

What  is  it  that  you  would  impart  to  me? 
If  it  be  aught  toward  the  general  good, 
Set  honour  in  one  eye,  and  death  i'the  other, 
And  I  will  look  on  both  indifferently; 
For  let  the  gods  so  speed  me,  as  I  love 

The  name  of  honour  niore  than  I  fear  death. 

Shakspeure. 

THE  unfortunate  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  consequent 
retreat  of  the  American  army,  and  the  subsequent  occupa 
tion  of  the  city  of  New-York  by  the  British,  under  General 
Howe,  are  events  familiar  to  every  reader.  The  first  oc 
curred  on  the  27th  of  August,  1776,  and  the  last  on  the 
15th  of  the  following  month.  The  affair  at  Kipp's  Bay,(l) 
the  contest  at  Harlaem  Heights,  and  the  landing  of  the  en 
emy  at  Throg's  Neck,  in  Westchester  count}^  followed 
each  other  in  rapid  succession,  and  excited  the  most  lively 
interest  throughout  the  country. 

It  was  during  the  occurrence  of  these  important  trans 
actions,  that  Crosby  determined  to  rejoin  the  standard  of 
his  country.  Several  months'  repose  had  recruited  his 
health,  and  strength  after  the  fatigue  and  bufferings  of  his 
northern  expedition.  He  was  now  in  the  twenty-seventh 
year  of  his  age,  with  every  personal  and  mental  qualifica 
tion  requisite  for  acts  of  enterprise,  hazard,  and  address. 
In  height,  he  was  nearly  six  feet,  with  broad  shoulders,  full 
chest,  and  a  liberal  share  of  bone  and  muscle,  but  not  a 
superabundance  of  flesh.(2)  Active,  athletic,  and  inured 


44  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

to  hardships,  he  determined  no  longer  to  indulge  in  inglo 
rious  ease,  while  his  brave  countrymen  were  in  arms  in 
defence  of  their  rights  and  liberties,  and  while  persons  of 
every  age,  sex,  and  condition,  were  cheerfully  submitting 
to  unexampled  privations,  for  the  sake  of  political  free 
dom. (3)  He,  therefore,  resumed  his  knapsack,  shouldered 
his  musket,  and,  once  more  bidding  adieu  to  the  rural 
scenes  of  Kent,  he  bent  his  course  towards  the  head-quar 
ters  of  the  American  army. 

It  was  towards  the  close  of  a  warm  day,  in  the  month  of 
September,  1776,  that  he  reached  a  wild  and  romantic  ra 
vine,  in  the  county  of  Westchester.(4)  Here  he  fell  in  with 
a  gentleman,  who  appeared  to  be  travelling  in  the  same 
direction,  and  with  whom  he  soon  entered  into  familiar 
conversation.  Among  other  questions,  the  stranger  in 
quired,  if  Crosby  was  going  "down  below?" — to  which  he 
readily  answered  in  the  affirmative.  The  interrogator 
appeared  pleased  with  this  reply,  and  let  fall  some  expres 
sions  which  plainly  indicated  that  he  had  "mistaken  his 
man,''  supposing  Crosby  to  be  a  loyalist,  on  his  way  to 
join  the  British  army.  .  The  latter  instantly  perceived  the 
advantage  which  might  be  derived  from  this  mistake,  and 
suffered  his  new  companion  to  remain  under  the  erroneous 
impression. 

"Are  you  not  aware,"  said  the  stranger,  "that  it  is  some 
what  hazardous  to  go  down  alone  ?  The  rebels  are  on  the 
alert,  and  you  may  meet  with  obstacles  that  will  not  be  very 
pleasant." 

"Indeed !"  returned  Crosby,  with  much  affected  concern. 
"What  course  would  you  then  advise  me  to  pursue  ?" 

"I  will  tell  you,  sir.  I  reside  but  a  short  distance  from 
hence ;  go  with  me,  and  make  my  house  your  home  for  a  few 
days,  when  you  can  go  down  with  a  company  that  is  now 
forming  for  that  purpose." 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  45 

"That  is,  indeed,  a  most  fortunate  circumstance,"  replied 
Crosby;  "and  I  accept  the  hospitable  invitation  with  as 
much  cordiality  as  it  appears  to  have  been  given.  This 
arrangement  will  relieve  my  mind  from  a  load  of  anxiety, 
and  I  shall  feel  myself  under  a  weight  of  obligation  to 
you." 

"Not  at  all,  sir;  it  is  a  pleasure  to  serve  those  who,  in 
these  trying  times,  retain  their  integrity,  and  remain  faith 
ful  to  his  majesty.  I  am  happy  to  know  that  many  of  my 
neighbours  are  of  this  class;  and  though  the  vigilance  of 
Jay,  Duer,  Platt,  Sackett,  and  their  deluded  instruments, 
compel  my  friends  to  be  very  circumspect  in  their  move 
ments,  there  is  no  doubt  of  their  being  able  to  complete  their 
arrangements,  and  reaching  the  army  without  molestation, 
They  will  very  gladly  receive  you  as  a  member,  and  in 
their  company  you  will  be  perfectly  safe." 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it,"  returned  Crosby;  "and  am  im 
patient  to  be  introduced  to  their  acquaintance." 

"Yonder  is  my  residence;  and  you  need  refreshment  and 
repose.  Rest  yourself  to-night,  and  in  the  morning  your 
wish  shall  be  gratified." 

Crosby  readily  acceded  to  this  proposal,  and  followed 
his  new  acquaintance  into  a  small  enclosure  that  led  to  a 
neat  farm-house  at  a  short  distance  from  the  road.  Here 
he  was  received  with  a  cordial  welcome,  and  furnished  with 
such  refreshments  as  his  situation  required.  After  supper, 
the  evening  was  spent  in  conversing  on  a  variety  of  sub 
jects,  that  naturally  grew  out  of  the  critical  state  of  the 
times  at  that  period ;  such  as  may  easily  be  imagined  to 
have  passed  between  a  covert  whig,  anxious  to  obtain  intel 
ligence,  and  a  real  tory,  who  had  no  suspicion  of  the  char 
acter  of  his  guest. 


46  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Having  had  a  comfortable  night's  rest,  and  a  substantial 
breakfast,  Crosby  reminded  the  host  of  his  promise  to  intro 
duce  him  to  such  of  his  neighbours  as  were  faithful  to  the 
royal  cause;  particularly  those  who  were  about  forming  a 
company  to  join  the  British  army.  - 

"1  am  anxious,"  said  he,  "to  become  acquainted  with  the 
agents,  before  1  join  in  the  enterprise.  It  is  not  every  man 
of  fair  professions  that  can  be  safely  trusted.  I  like  to  see 
and  judge  for  myself." 

The  reasonableness  of  this  request  induced  his  kind  en 
tertainer  to  comply  with  it  without  delay.  Crosby  was 
accordingly  introduced  to  a  number  of  persons,  on  many 
of  whom  the  shadow  of  suspicion  had  never  before  lighted, 
they  having  ever  professed  to  be  warm  adherents  of  the 
American  cause.  Every  one  received  him  with  cordiality, 
and  conversed  on  political  subjects  without  the  least  disguise 
or  restraint,  so  completely  had  they  been  thrown  off  their 
guard  by  their  confidence  in  the  person  who  had  recommen 
ded  him.  He  found  the  whole  of  them  to  be  most  invete 
rate  and  virulent  in  their  hostility  to  the  friends  of  liberty, 
and  was  convinced  that  he  could  not  render  a  greater  ser 
vice  to  his  bleeding  country,  than  by  counteracting  the 
machinations  of  her  most  dangerous  (because  most  secret 
and  insidious)  foes. 

Accordingly,  at  the  expiration  of  three  days,  during 
which  time  he  had  made  himself  master  of  all  the  infor 
mation  in  their  power  to  communicate,  (and  some  of  them 
held  secret  correspondence  with  the  enemy,)  he  told  his 
host,  that  he  felt  too  impatient  to  join  the  army,  to  wait 
any  longer  the  dilatory  movements  of  this  company.  He 
was,  therefore,  resolved  to  proceed  alone,  and  to  trust  to 
fortune  and  his  own  address  for  protection.  After  vainly 
exhausting  every  argument  to  dissuade  his  guest  from  so 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  47 

hazardous  a  project,  the  other  finally  consented,  and  Crosby 
resumed  his  knapsack  and  musket,  took  leave  of  his  enter 
tainer,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight  on  the  road  to  New-York. 

In  this  direction,  however,  he  did  not  travel  long;  but 
took  advantage  of  an  abrupt  angle  in  the  road,  to  change 
his  course;  when,  leaving  the  highway,  he  plunged  into  a 
thicket,  and  pursued  his  way,  through  a  pathless  tract  of 
country,  in  a  northwestern  direction. 

He  had  heard  of -a  Mr.  Young,  who  resided  within  eight 
miles  from  White  Plains,  andknew  him,  from  reputation, 
to  be  a  warm  friend  to  the  American  cause.  With  him, 
therefore,  he  determined  to  consult  on  the  proper  steps  to  be 
taken  with  respect  to  the  arrest  of  these  traitors  to  their 
country.  Owing,  however,  to  the  circuitous  route  he  had 
adopted,  to  avoid  the  observation  of  his  late  associates, 
night  had  set  in  before  his  journey  was  half  accomplished ; 
and  it  was  with  extreme  difficulty,  that  he  "groped  his 
darkling  way"  through  the  wild  and  broken  region  that  lay 
between  him  and  the  object  of  his  pursuit.  Hills  were  to 
be  climbed,  thickets  penetrated,  arid  streams  forded,  before 
he  could  gain  the  road  which  was  to  conduct  him  to  the 
mansion  of  Mr.  Young. 

All  these  difficulties,  however,  were  at  length  happily 
surmounted:  but  it  was  near  midnight  when  he  reached 
the  end  of  his  journey.  Fortunately,  the  master  of  the 
house  was  still  up  and  alone,  his  family  having  all  retired. 
Crosby  was  a  stranger,  and  the  hour  unseasonable ;  but 
such  circumstances  were  not  unusual  in  those  "stirring 
times."  He  was  promptly  admitted,  and  politely  invited  to 
take  a  seat;  when  Mr.  Young,  fixing  on  him  a  searching 
gaze,  (as  if  -anxious  to  penetrate  into  the  secret  recesses  of 
his  heart,  and  there  to  read  his  real  character,)  intimated 
that  he  was  ready  to  learn  the  purport  of  his  untimely  visit. 


48  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Crosby  was  aware  that  the  inhabitants  in  that  section 
of  the  country  had  lost  much  of  their  former  confidence 
in  each  other,  and  knew  not  whom  to  trust;  he,  therefore, 
hastened  to  explain  the  object  of  his  intrusion,  and  relieve 
his  host  from  the  evident  embarrassment  his  suspicions 
had  created. (5) 

"I  understand,  sir,"  said  Crosby,  "that  you  are  a  friend 
to  the  'upper  party .'(6)  Give  me  leave  to  ask  if  I  have 
been  correctly  informed?  Is  it  true?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  promptly  replied  the  other;  "it  is  true.  I 
ttm  a  friend  to  my  country ;  and  am  not  afraid  or  ashamed 
to  avow  it,  to  friend  or  foe." 

"I  have  always  understood,  sir,  that  such  was  your  char 
acter,  and  rejoice  to  find  that  I  am  not  deceived.  Under 
this  impression,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  wait  on  you, 
for  the  purpose  of  communicating  information  that  may 
prove  beneficial  to  the  American  cause." 

"Go  on,  sir,"  returned  the  host,  in  a  tone  bordering  on 
sternness,  and  without  relaxing  his  features.  "Proceed; 
I  am  all  attention." 

"Do  you  know,  sir,  that  there  are  traitors  around  you  ? 
— that  even  some  of  your  neighbours  are  secretly  con 
certing  plans  to  assist  the  common  enemy  in  plundering 
and  butchering  their  own  brethren  and  fellow-country 
men?" 

"I  am  well  aware,"  returned  Young,  with  a  sigh,  "that 
there  are  too  many  who  feel  secretly  disposed  to  aid  the 
cause  of  the  enemy.  But  they  dare  not  openly  avow  it." 

"That  is  true,  sir." 

"O,  that  I  knew  them!"  continued  the  host,  with  in 
creasing  animation,  as  he  rose  from  his  seat.  "O,  that  I 
could  designate  them — point  them  out — name  them!— 


MEMOIRS    OP    ENOCH   CROSBY.  49 

They  should    soon   be   linked    together    by    closer   and 
stronger  ties  than  those  which  now  connect  thorn." 

"Then,  sir,"  replied  Crosby,  with  confidence,  rising  on 
his  feet,  and  approaching  the  other,  "I  have  news  that 
will  interest  you.  I  have  just  left  a  company  of  these 
wretches,  after  having  spent  three  days  with  them,  and 
know  all  their  plans.  Their  intention  is  to  join  the  'lower 
party,'  with  whom  they  now  hold  a  secret  correspon- 
pence,  and  raise  their  parricidal  hands  against  their  bleed 
ing  country ." 
"  Is  it  possible !" 

"It  is  most  true,  sir.  I  know  them  all — have  visited 
their  families — attended  their  secret  meetings — assisted 
them  in  maturing  their  nefarious  plans." 

"  Indeed !  Then  you  yourself- " 

"Understand  me,"  interrupted  Crosby.  "I  have  levelled 
this  musket  too  often  at  the  open  and  avowed  enemies  of 
my  country,  to  be  on  terms  of  intimacy  with  her  secret 
foes,  except  for  the  purpose  of  discovering  and  preventing 
their  contemplated  treachery." 

Here  Crosby   gave  a  particular  detail  of  the  circum 
stances  connected  with  his  introduction  to  the  members  of 
this   hopeful    confederacy;    particulars    with   which    the 
reader  is  already  acquainted;  and,  as  he  proceeded,  the 
countenance  of  his  auditor  gradually  brightended.       As 
soon  as  he  had  finished,  the  latter  seized  him  eagerly  by  the 
hand;  and,  with  sparkling  eyes,  exclaimed — 
•"Is  this  true,  upon  the  honour  of  a  man?" 
"It  is  true,  by  Heaven!"  returned  the  other;  "and  if 
you  will  assist  me  with  your  advice  and  co-operation,  eight- 
and-forty  hours  shall  not  elapse  until  you  are  convinced  by 
the  testimony  of  your  own  eyes." 

L Come  on,  then,  my  good  fellow!"  exclaimed  Young, 
5 


50  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

seizing  his  hat.  "  The  Committee  of  Safety  are  at  White 
Plains,  and  thither  we  must  proceed  immediately.  Follow 
me  quickly,  and  I  will  be  your  pilot."1' 

Crosby  was  not  backward  in  complying  with  this  injunc 
tion,  though  already  much  fatigued  by  his  recent  journey; 
but  promptly  followed  his  hasty  guide  on  this  midnignt 
excursion.  Fences,  rocks,  and  trees  were  but  slight  im 
pediments 

"To  hearts  resolved,  and  limbs  inured  to  toil," 

and,  before  two  o'clock,  they  found  themselves  at  the  end 
of  their  journey,  in  the  village  of  White  Plains,  and  in 
presence  of  the  honourable  John  Jay,  one  of  the  most 
vigilant  of  these  watchful  guardians  of  the  public  safety. 

This  gentleman  being  made  acquainted  with  the  fore 
going  particulars,  dismissed  his  informants  with  a  request 
that  they  would  remain'  near  at  hand,  for  further  instruc 
tions,  as  he  intended,  at  early  dawn,  to  convene  the  com 
mittee,  and  hold  a  consultation  on  the  important  subject. 

Were  we  writing  a  romance,  instead  of  an  authentic 
narrative  of  events  which  actually  occurred,  and  could  we 
command  the  descriptive  pen  of  our  inimitable  Cooper, 
here  would  be  the  place  to  introduce  a  series  of  incidents 
which  attended,  (or  might  have  attended,)  the  subsequent 
movements  of  our  two  nocturnal  adventurers.  Their 
difficulty  in  procuring  comfortable  quarters  for  the  re 
mainder  of  the  night;  a  description  of  the  village  inn  where 
they  finally  succeeded  in  rousing  the  lazy  landlord  from 
his  slumbers;  the  motley  group  which  lay  snoring  on  the 
floor  of  the  bar-room;  a  portraiture  of  the  florid-faced 
landlady,  and  the  various  incidents  resulting  from  this  un 
expected  interruption  of  her  arrangements  for  the  night, 
would,  altogether,  form  sufficient  materials  for  an  inter- 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  51 

esting  chapter.  But  as  nothing  of  the  kind  has  been 
promised  in  our  title  page,  the  reader  must  rest  contented 
with  a  "plain  unadorned  narrative  of  such  facts  as  our  hero 
can  actually  remember  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy- 
eight. 

The  committee  were  convened  at  an  early  hour  on  the 
following  morning,  when  Crosby  was  summoned  before 
them,  to  recapitulate  the  particulars  of  his  recent  adven 
ture.  After  hearing  his  statement,  and  consulting  on  the 
most  proper  steps  to  be  taken  in  the  business,  Crosby  was 
requested  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  to  accompany  a 
detachment  of  Rangers,(7)  (on  the  ensuing  night)  to  the 
place  where  his  recent  associates  were  in  the  habit  of 
hold  in  gtheir  secret  cabals. 

The  enterprise  was  crowned  with  complete"]  success. 
Without  dreaming  of  molestation,  these  vile  conspirators 
found  themselves  suddenly  surrounded  by  a  troop  of  horse, 
and  compelled  to  surrender.  Thus,  in  less  time  than  our 
hero  had  specified,  his  friend  Young  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  the  whole  cavalcade,  linked  together  in  pairs, 
safely  conducted  to  prison,  to  the  tune  of  the  "Rogue's 
March." 

The  successful  result  of  this  enterprise,  induced  the 
committee  to  believe  that  the  cause  in  which  they  had  so 
zealously  embarked,  might  be  highly  promoted  by  enga 
ging  a  person  of  Crosby's  acuteness  and  address  in  similar 
secret  services.  The  proposition  was  accordingly  made 
to  him  at  a  confidential  interview. 

"  It  was  your  intention,"  said  the  chairman,  "again  to 
serve  your  country  as  a  private  in  the  ranks.  Such  a  reso 
lution,  in  a  person  of  your  character  and  abilities,  could 
only  have  originated  in  motives  of  the  purest  patriotism. 
But  you  must  now  be  convinced  that  much  greater  ser- 


52  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

vices  may  be  rendered  by  pursuing  a  different,  though 
certainly  not  a  less  hazardous,  course.  There  is  a  suffi 
cient  number  of  brave  fellows  to  repulse  our  open  and 
avowed  enemy.  The  greatest  danger  which  now  threatens 
this  suffering  country,  is  from  her  internal  foes;  those 
secret  enemies  who,  in  their  midnight  cabals,  are  plotting 
our  destruction.  He  who  succeeds  in  bringing  such 
wretches  to  justice,  deserves  infinitely  more  of  his  country, 
than  he  who  fights  her  battles.  Are  you  willing  to  engage 
in  such  service?" 

"  I  am  willing  to  encounter  any  danger,  and  make  any 
sacrifice,  (my  honour  only  excepted,)  in  the  service  •  of  my 
country.1" 

"  It  cannot  be  disguised  that,  in  the  service  now  pro 
posed  to  you,  even  honour,  in  the  general  acceptation  of 
that  term  among  men,  must  also  be  sacrificed ;  but  not  so 
in  the  eye  of  that  Being  who  reads  the  secret  thoughts  of 
the  heart,  and  judges  the  motive  instead  of  the  act.  He 
will  approve,  though  man  may  condemn." 

"  It  is,  indeed,  a  hazardous  part  you  would  have  me 
play.  I  must  become  a  SPY." 

"In  appearance  only.  Our  bleeding  country  requires 
such  service  at  this  momentous  crisis.  We  must  fight 
our  secret  foes  with  their  own  weapons;  and  he  who  will 
magnanimously  step  forward  as  a  volunteer  in  that  ser 
vice,  will  merit  a  rich  reward — and  receive  it,  too,  from 
Heaven,  if  not  from  man.  If  he  fall,  he  falls  a  martyr 
in  the  glorious  cause  of  liberty." 

"I  will  be  that  man,"  replied  Crosby,  with  firmness. 
"  I  have  counted  the  cost,  and  am  aware  of  the  danger. 
I  know  that  I  must  be  content  to  endure  reproach,  obloquy, 
and  detestation ;  to  cover  my  poor  doating  parents  with 
shame  and  misery,  and  incur  the  hatred  of  those  I  dearest 


MEMOIRS    OF  ENOCH   CROSBY.  53 

love.  Perhaps  to  suffer  an  ignominious  death,  and  leave 
a  name  of  infamy  behind.  I  know  it  all,  and  yet  I  will 
not  shrink  from  the  task.  [  will  encounter  all — -risk  all — 
suffer  all,  if  I  can  thereby  serve  my  country.  But  there 

is  one  condition If  I   do  fall  in  the  discharge  of  this 

duty,  you  must  pledge  yourselves  to  do  justice  to  my 
memory.  It  would  be  dreadful  to  die,  and  leave  such  a 
name  behind  me." 

"Of  that  rest  assured,"  replied  the  chairman,  not  a 
little  affected  by  the  solemn  earnestness  of  this  appeal  • 
"but  we  hope  and  trust  that  the  melancholy  duty  will  not 
be  soon  required  at  our  hands.  We  will  furnish  you  with 
a  pass  for  your  protection;  but  it  must  never  be  exhibited 
save  in  the  last  extremity.  Should  you  be  arrested  as  an 
emmissary  of  the  enemy,  you  shall  be  secretly  furnished 
with  the  means  of  escape.  But  the  secret  of  your  real  char 
acter  must  go  no  farther.  Your  dearest  friend  must  not  be 
intrusted  wilh  it." 

After  furnishing  their  new  agent  with  every  necessary 
instruction,  together  with  the  promised  pass,  the  com 
mittee  adjourned,  and  Crosby  immediately  set  about 
making  arrangements  for  his  new  undertaking. cHis  musket 
was  laid  aside;  and  instead  of  a  knapsack,  he  furnished 
himself  with  a  large  pedlars  pack,(8)  containing  a  corn 
plete  set  of  shoemaker's  tools.  Thus  equipped,  he  sallied 
forth  in  quest  of  adventures.  His  ostensible  object,  (in 
order  to  avoid  suspicion)  was  searching  for  employment; 
or  what  the  sons  of  St.  Crispin,  at  that  period,  termed 
^'whipping  the  cat;"  but  in  more  modern  times,  we  believe, 
it  is  called  "taking  a  tramp."  Whatever  be  the  genuine 
classical  appellation,  however,  we  must  leave  our  itinerant 
to  pursue  his  peregrinations  in  the  interior  of  Westchester 
county,  while  we  take  a  peep  at  the  army  below. 

5* 


54 


THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    SPY    AND    THE    HAYSTACK. 

"  Our  foes  shall  fall,  with  heedless  feet, 

Into  the  pit  they  made; 
And  lories  perish  in  the  net 

Which  their  own  hands  have  spread  " 

IMMEDIATELY  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  the  re 
treat  of  the  Americans,  and  the  barbarous  execution  of 
the  brave  and  unfortunate  Hale,(l)  the  enemy  made  prompt 
dispositions  for  attacking  the  city  of  New-York.  It  was 
a  serious  question  with  Washington,  whether  that  place 
was  defensible  against  so  formidable  a  force;  it  was 
finally  decided,  however,  ,in  a  council  of  war,  that  it  had 
become  not  only  prudent,  but  necessary,  to  withdraw  the 
army. 

Several  of  the  enemy's  ships  of  war  having  passed  up 
the  Hudson,  on  the  west  side  of  York  Island,  and  also  up 
the  East  river,  on  the  opposite  side,  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
embarked  at  Long  Island,  at  the  head  of  four  thousand 
men ;  and,  proceeding  through  Newtown  Bay,  crossed  the 
East  river,  and  landed,  (under  cover  of  five  ships  of  war,) 
at  Kipp's  Bay,  about  three  miles  above  the  city.  Works 
of  considerable  strength  had  been  thrown  up  at  this  place, 
to  oppose  the  landing  of  the  enemy ;  but  they  were  imme 
diately  abandoned  by  the  troops  stationed  in  them.  Ter 
rified  at  the  fire  of  the  ships,  they  fled  precipitately  towards 
their  main  body,  and  communicated  their  panic  to  a  de 
tachmerit  that  was  marching  to  their  support. 


MEMOIRS  OP   ENOCH   CROSBY  56 

Washington,  to  his  extreme  mortification,  met  this  whole 
party  retreating  in  the  utmost  disorder,  and  exerted  him 
self  to  rally  them;  but, on  the  appearance  of  a  small  corps 
of  the  enemy,  they  again  broke  and  fled  in  confusion1  The 
General,  who  was  not  only  mortified  and  distressed,  but 
actually  enraged  at  their  cowardice,  drew  his  sword  and 
snapped  his  pistols  to  check  them;  but  they  continued  their 
flight  without  firing  a  gun! 

For  a  moment  the  feelings  of  Washington  got  the  mas 
tery  of  his  reason.  "Are  these  the  men  with  which  I  am 
to  defend  America?"  exclaimed  he,  in  a  tone  of  bitterness, 
as  he  gazed  after  the  recreant  fugitives;  then,  turning  his 
horse's  head  to  face  the  advancing  enemy,  he  remained  for 
some  minutes  exposed  to  their  fire,  as  if  wishing,  by  an 
honourable  death,  to  escape  the  infamy  he  dreaded  from 
the  dastardly  conduct  of  troops  on  whom  he  could  place 
no  dependence.  His  aids,  and  the  confidential  friends 
around  his  person,  by  indirect  violence  compelled  him  to 
retire. 

Nothing  now  remained  but  to  withdraw  the  few  remain 
ing  troops  from  New- York,  and  to  secure  the  posts  on  the 
heights.  The  retreat  was  effected  with  very  inconsidera 
ble  loss  of  men;  but  all  the  heavy  artillery,  and  a  large 
portion  of  the  baggage,  provisions,  and  military  stores, 
were  unavoidably  abandoned. 

Major-General  Putnam,  at  the  head  of  three  thousand 
five  hundred  continental  troops,  was  in  the  rear  of  the 
retreating  army.  In  order  to  avoid  any  of  the  enemy 
that  might  be  advancing  in  the  direct  road  to  the  city,  he 
made  choice  of  a  route  parallel  with,  and  contiguous  to, 
the  North  river,  till  he  could  arrive  at  a  certain  angle, 
whence  another  road  would  conduct  them  in  such  a  direc 
tion  as  that  he  might  form  a  junction  with  the  main  body. 


56  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

It  so  happened,  that  a  body  of  about  eight  thousand 
British  and  Hessians  were,  at  the  same  moment,  advan 
cing  on  the  road,  which  would  have  brought  them  in  im 
mediate  contact  with  Putnam,  before  he  could  have  reached 
the  turn  into  the  other  road. 

Most  fortunately,  the  British  Generals,  seeing  no  pros 
pect  of  engaging  the  Americans,  halted  their  own  troops, 
and  repaired  to  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Robert  Murray,  a 
quaker,  and  a  whig.  Mrs.  Murray  treated  them  so  hos 
pitably  with  cake  and  wine,  that  they  were  induced  to 
tarry  two  hours  or  more,  during  which  time  Tryon  was 
frequently  joking  her  about  her  American  friends. 

By  this  happy  incident,  Putnam  escaped  a  rencontre 
\viih  a  greatly  superior  force,  which  must  have  proved 
fatal  to  his  whole  party,  as  one  half  hour  would  have  been 
sufficient  for  the  enemy  to  have  secured  the  road  at  the 
turn,  and  entirely  cut  off  Putnam's  retreat.  Dr.  Thacher, 
in  relating  this  circumstance,  adds:  "It  has  since  become 
almost  a  common  saying,  among  our  officers,  that  Mrs. 
Murray  saved  this  part  of  the  American  army."  " 

The  enemy  immediately  took  possession  of  the  city,  for 
the  defence  of  which  he  left  a  Suitable  detachment,  and 
then  advanced  towards  Harlaem,  in  pursuit  of  Washington. 
The  Americans  now  occupied  Kingsbridge,  at  the  north 
western  extremity  of  York  Island,  both  sides  of  which  had 
been  carefully  fortified;  they  were  also  in  considerable 
force  at  M'Gowan's  Pass,  and  Morris's  Heights.  A  strong 
detachment  was  also  posted  in  an  intrenched  camp,  on 
the  heights  of  Harlaem,  within  about  a  mile  and  a  half  of 
the  enemy. 

On  the  day  after  the  retreat  from  New  York,  a  consid 
erable  body  of  the"enemy  appearing  in  the  plain  between 
the  two  camps,  Washington  ordered  Colonel  Knowlton, 


MBHOIRS    OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  57 

with  a  corps  of  Rangers,  under  Captain  Townsend,  and 
Major  Leitch,  with  three  companies  of  Virginians,  to  get 
in  their  rear,  while  he  amused  them  by  making  apparent 
dispositions  to  attack  them  in  front.  The  plan  succeeded. 
A  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  the  Americans  charged  the 
enemy  with  great  intrepidity,  and  gained  considerable  ad- 
vantage. 

Knowlton  was  killed,  and  Leitch  badly  wounded;  but 
their  men  behaved  with  great  bravery,  and  fairly  beat 
their  adversaries  from  the  field.  Most  of  these  were  the 
same  men  who  had  disgraced  themselves  the  day  before,  by 
running  away  from  an  inferior  force.  Struck  with  a 
sense  of  shame  for  their  late  misbehaviour,  they  had  offered 
themselves  as  volunteers,  and  requested  the  commander - 
in^chief  to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  retrieve  their 
honour. 

In  the  mean  time,  Crosby  was  earnesly  pursuing  his 
new  vocation;  travelling  about  the  country;  and,  with  his 
characteristic  acuteness,(2)  becoming  "all  things  to  all 
men,"  iri'order  to  elicit  such  information  as  would  enable 
the  committee  of  safety  to  discriminate  between  their 
real  friends  and  their  secret  foes.  Through  his  intimacy 
with  the  latter,  (who,  of  course,  hailed  him  as  a  kindred 
spirit,)  he  obtained  regular  information  of  the  movements 
of  the  enemy  below,  and  privately  transmitted  the  same  to 
his  employers. 

As  may  readily  be  supposed,  the  committee,  at  this  time, 
were  trembling  for  the  safety  of  the  American  army;  and 
their  well-grounded  apprehensions  were  hourly  increasing, 
when  a  secret  communication  from  their  new  agent  in 
formed  them,  that  the  contest  on  the  heights  of  Harlaem 
had  fully  retrieved  the  tarnished  honour  of  the  American 
arms;  that  their  good  conduct,  at  this  second  engagement, 


58  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

had  proved  an  antidote  to  the  poison  of  their  example  on 
the  preceding  day;  and  demonstrated  that  Americans  only 
wanted  resolution  and  good  officers  to  be  on  an  equal  foot 
ing  with  their  enemies.  The  committee  were  thus  in 
spired  with  hopes,  that  a  little  more  experience  would 
enable  their  countrymen  to  assume,  not  only  the  name 
and  garb,  but  the  spirit  and  firmness  of  soldiers. 

In  one  of  Crosby's  reconnoitring  excursions,  the  ap 
proach  of  evening,  and  some  fatigue  of  body,  reminded 
him  that  it  was  time  to  look  out  for  comfortable  quarters 
for  the  night.  There  was  no  public  house  of  entertain 
ment  within  several  miles,  and  only  a  few  poor  farm 
houses,  thinly  scattered,  within  the  whole  circumference 
of  his  vision.  To  one  of  these,  therefore,  he  determined 
to  apply  for  supper  and  lodgings.  He  accordingly  struck 
off  into  a  foot-path  which  led  to  the  nearest;  and,  bending 
beneath  the  weight  of  his  pack,  advanced  to  the  door,  and 
knocked  for  admittance. 

A  rosy-cheeked  girl,  of  about  fifteen,  just  budding  into 
maturity,  of  rustic  appearance,  and  bashful  demeanour, 
at  length  appeared,  with  visible  reluctance,  to  answer  to 
his  summons.  On  being  made  acquainted  with  his  wishes, 
the  timid  maiden  hesitated,  stammered,  and  then  suddenly 
retreating;  saying,  as  she  closed  the  door,  "I  will  ask 
mother,  sir." 

In  a  few  minutes,  however,  she  again  made  her  appear 
ance,  and  bade  him  walk  in.  He  did  not  wait  for  a  second 
invitation;  but  followed  his  fair  conductor  into  an  apart 
ment  that  served  at  once  the  two-fold  purpose  of  parlour 
and  kitchen.  Here  he  repeated  his  request  to  a  middle- 
aged  female,  who  sat  in  a  corner  of  the  capacious  fire-place, 
very  buaily  employed  with  her  knitting  work. 


MEMOIRS  OP  ENOCH  CROSBY.  59 

"Lodging,  did  you  say?"  exclaimed  the  good  woman, 
surveying  her  weary  guest  over  the  top  of  her  spectacles. 
"  We  don't  keep  lodgings,  sir." 

"I  am  very  much  fatigued,  madam;  and  would  be 
very  grateful  for  permission  to  stay  in  your  house  till 
morning." 

"  O  well,  I  don't  know,"  returned  the  old  woman, 
rising  from  her  seat,  and  approaching  the  stranger  to  ex 
amine  him  more  particularly.  "  There's  some  strange 
works,  now-a-days,  and  I  don't  like  to  keep  any  body  for 
fear  of  something.  What,  in  mercy's  name,  is  that  great 
bag  there?" 

"  That  Madam,  is  my  shop.  I  am  a  shoemaker,  by 
trade,  and  am  in  search  of  work,  with  my  shop  upon  my 
back.  Will  you  give  me  leave  to  dismount  it?" 

"  Well,  I  don't  care  if  you  stay  long  enough  to  make 
our  John  a  pair  of  shoes,  for  he  is  going  over  east,  to  see 
some  men  that  are  going  down  to  the  army  next  week." 

"  Are  they  going  to  our  army  ?"  asked  Crosby,  as  he  dis 
encumbered  himself  from  his  ponderous  pack. (3) 

"I  'spose  you  mean  the  lower  army;  don't  you,  sir?" 

"  O,  yes,  madam;  certainly,"  answered  Crosby,  helping 
himself  to  a  chair.  "  I  mean  the  royal  army,  a  large 
detachment  of  which  is  now  at  Throg's  Neck.  The 
rebel  army  has  run  away  from  York  Island,  and  is  now 
moving  towards  White  Plains.  But  Howe  will  soon  over 
haul  them,  and  give  a  good  account  of  them,  too,  or  I  miss 
my  guess." 

"Here,  Sally! — Where  are  you? — Get  this  man  some 
thing  to  eat,  for  his  good  news;  and  then  see  if  the  best 
bed-room  is  put  to  rights,  and  make  him  as  comfortable  as 
you  can." 


60  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

As  a  good  loyalist,  Crosby  was  now  made  welcome  to 
the  best  the  house  afforded.  While  he  was  thus  refreshing 
himself,  and  chatting  with  his  loquacious  landlady,  the 
good  man  of  the  house  himself  came  home,  to  whom 
she  eagerly  introduced  her  guest  as  a  warm  adherent  of 
his  Majesty,  and  a  sworn  enemy  to  the  rebels.  This  as 
sertion  was  abundantly  confirmed  by  the  remarks  of 
Crosby  himself,  during  a  long  and  interesting  conversation 
on  the  subject  of  that  wicked  rebellion  against  the  mother 
country. 

In  the  course  of  this  conversation,  Crosby  learned  that 
a  company  was  forming,  about  three  miles  east  of  that 
place,  for  the  purpose  of  joining  the  British  army.  On 
his  intimating  a  desire  to  become  a  member  of  this  corps, 
his  host  readily  agreed  to  introduce  him  to  the  Captain,  in 
the  course  of  the  following  day.  He  then  conducted  his 
guest  to  the  best  bed  in  the  house;  and,  wishing  him  a 
pleasant  night's  repose,  left  him  to  his  own  meditations, 
to  dream  of  plots  and  counterplots,  or  any  other  subject 
that  fancy  might  conjure  up. 

Whatever  might  have  been  the  character  of  his  dreams, 
however,  our  adventurer  arose  the  next  morning  com 
pletely  refreshed  and  invigorated ;  and,  after  partaking  of 
a  hearty  breakfast,  he  accompanied  his  host  to  the  resi 
dence  of  the  tory  Captain  before  mentioned.  On  being 
introduced,  by  his  attentive  guide,  as  a  loyalist,  who  was 
desirous  of  serving  his  Majesty,  Crosby  was  most  cordially 
received,  and  politely  invited  to  stay  to  dinner,  and  to 
spend  the  remainder  of  the  day  and  the  coming  night  at 
the  Captain's  house. 

This  invitation  was  'readily  accepted,  and  in  the  course 
of  the  evening,  Crosby  was  made  acquainted  with  many 


MEMOIRS   OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  61 

interesting  particulars  relative  to  the  plans  and  intentions 
of  the  Captain  and  his  confederates. 

On  the  following  morning,  at  breakfast,  the  subject  was 
again  introduced,  when  Crosby  was  asked  if  he  was  ready 
to  enter  his  name  on  the  muster-roll. 

"I  have  not  yet  entirely  made  up  my  mind,"  replied  he. 
"  Such  a  step  will  necessarily  be  attended  with  consider 
able  danger;  for,  in  case  1  should  be  taken  by  the  Amer 
icans,  and  my  name  known,  they  would  hang  me  as  a 
traitor." 

"  Were  there  any  solid  grounds  for  such  an  apprehen 
sion,"  replied  the  other,  "you  would  only  incur  that  risk  in 
common  with  us  all.  But  the  rebels  dare  not  resort  to 
such  extremities,  for  fear  of  a  terrible  retaliation," 

"  tt  may  be  so,"  returned  Crosby.  "  But  t  think  I 
should  rather  go  down  without  entering  my  name  on  the 
roll;  unless,  indeed,  I  could  first  examine,  and  see  if  there 
are  any  names  of  my  acquaintance  on  it." 

"  That  privilege  shall  be  cheerfully  granted  you,"  said 
the  Captain  producing  a  long  roll  of  signatures,  and  hand 
ing  the  same  to  his  visiter,  who  ran  over  them  with  a  satis 
faction  which  he  took  good  care  to  conceal ;  for  he  readily 
perceived,  to  use  his  own  expression,  that  there  was  a  "fine 
haul  for  his  net."  After  attentively  examining  every  name, 
he  rolled  up  the  list  with  an  air  of  disappointment;  saying, 
as  he  returned  it  to  the  Captain, 

"  I  shall  beg  to  be  excused,  sir.  They  are  all  strangers 
Jo  me;  and  it  is  not  impossible  that  this  roll  may  one  day 
\all  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Besides,  I  can  just 
as  well  go&nvn  without  enrolling  my  name." 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  have  a  safer  way 
yet,  for  those  who  are  influenced  by  similar  apprehensions 
vith  yourself.  I  put  five  or  six  names  on  one  slip  of  paper, 

6 


62  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OH 

which  I  then  conceal  beneath  a  large  stone  in  my  meadow. 
I  have  several  such  deposits.  Come  along  with  me,  and 
say  what  you  think  of  the  plan. 

So  saying,  he  arose  from  the  table,  and,  accompanied 
by  his  guest,  sallied  out  into  a  large  meadow,  at  some  dis 
tance  from  the  house.  After  visiting  several  spots  where 
these  secret  muster-rolls  were  deposited,  he  directed  the 
attention  of  his  companion  to  a  haystack  of  enormous  di 
mensions,  and  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  it. 

"  I  think  it  would  prove  a  great  temptation  to  a  rebel 
foraging  party?"  answered  Crosby,  after  a  short  silence, 
and  with  some  covert  humour  which  cost  him  an  exertion 
to  conceal. (4) 

"It  probably  would,"  observed  the  other,  "were  such 
parties  abroad.  But  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  best  math 
ematician  among  them  to  determine  its  solid  contents  by 
measuring  its  superfices.  It  is  a  mystery  worth  penetra 
ting  into.  Let  me  instruct  you." 

With  these  words,  the  speaker  lifted  up  the  hay,  on  one 
side  of  the  huge  edifice,  and  discovered  a  small  open 
ing  which  led  to  the  interior  of  the  excavated  pile. — 
Fond  of  adventure,  Crosby  entered  without  hesitation, 
and  found  himself  in  a  most  ingenious  hiding  place,  of 
sufficient  capacity  to  contain  forty  or  fifty  men,  comfort 
ably  seated. 

"What  think  you  of  that?"  asked  the  proprietor  of  the 
hay,  as  his  guest  emerged  from  its  interior.  "Would  the 
rebels  ever  think  of  looking  for  you  there?" 

"I  think  not,"  replied  the  other,  with  an  inward  chuckle, 
as  he  surveyed  the  exterior  of  the  premises-Very  atten 
tively.  "  I  should  as  soon  think  of  searching  for  a  needle 
in  a  haymow." 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  63 

The  Captain  smiled  with  much  self-complacency  at  this 
brief  approval  of  his  invention,  and  then  renewed  his 
solicitations  for  Crosby  to  enroll  his  name.  The  latter, 
however,  still  hesitated,  but  promised  to  give  a  definitive 
answer  on  the  following  day.  With  this  assurance  the 
other  remained  satisfied,  and  the  remainder  of  that  day 
was  devoted  to  making  further  arrangements  for  the  con 
templated  expedition. 

Night  soon  returned,  and  Crosby  was  still  the  Captain's 
guest.  At  the  usual  hour,  he  retired  to  his  bed,  where  he 
lay,  listening  attentively  to  every  movement  in  the  house, 
until  he  felt  perfectly  assured  that  the  family  were  safely 
locked  in  the  arms  of  sleep.  When  "every  sound  was 
hushed,  and  all  was  still,"  he  cautiously  arose,  dressed 
himself,  and  stole  out  of  the  house  without  giving  any 
alarm.  Before  midnight  he  was  consulting  with  his  em 
ployers  at  White  Plains. 

Such  arrangements  were  immediately  adopted  by  the 
Committee  of  Safety  as  were  considered,  by  all  parties, 
appropriate  to  the  emergency.  Their  informant  then  took 
his  leave;  and  before  daylight,  was  again  snoring  in  his 
bed,  at  the  house  of  the  loyal  Captain. 

On  the  following  morning,  he  informed  his  entertainer 
that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  as  to  the  subject  of  their 
recent  conversation.  He  was  willing  and  anxious  to  be 
come  a  member  of  the  company ;  and  would  hold  himself 
in  readiness  to  march  with  them  at  a  moment's  warning; 
but  should  decline  signing  his  name  to  the  muster  roll 
until  they  had  safely  arrived  within  the  British  lines.  The 
Captain  appeared  satisfied  with  this  arrangement,  and  ex 
pressed  a  hope  that  every  thing  would  be  prepared  for 
their  departure  on  the  following  day. 


64  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

"  Would  it  not  be  advisable,  then,"  asked  Crosby,  "to 
call  a  general  meeting  of  the  company  this  evening? — 
There  is  much  to  do,  and  it  is  necessary  that  we  act  in 
concert.  When  we  are  all  together,  our  plans  can  be  better 
digested,  as  we  shall  have  the  opinion  and  advice  of  each 
individual.  Such  a  meeting  is  indispensable  before  we 
go  down,  and  there  is  certainly  no  time  to  be  lost." 

"The  idea  is  a  good  one,"  replied  the  Captain;  "and 
every  man  shall  be  notified  to  meet  here  this  evening,  when 
we  will  complete  our  arrangements,  and  be  off  to-morrow, 
You  must  assist  me  in  calling  them  together." 

Crosby  readily  consented  to  exert  hemself  on  this  occa 
sion;  and  went  about  the  business  with  such  cheerful 
alacrity,  that,  before  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  whole 
company  were  assembled  in  the  Captain's  parlour,  with 
the  exception  of  the  lieutenant,  who  had  gone  from  home 
on  some  temporary  business. 

By  ten  o'clock,  the  business  of  the  meeting  was  nearly 
all  completed;  and  the  usual  refreshments  were  about 
being  introduced,  when  the  attention  of  the  party  was  sud 
denly  arrested  by  the  loud  trampling  of  horses. 

The  lights  were  instantly  extinguished;  and  they  all 
sat  in  breathless  silence;  every  heart  palpitating  with 
fearful  anticipations  of  some  unpleasant  adventure,  until 
they  were  aroused  to  action  by  a  voice  at  the  door  ex 
claiming — 

"  Surrrender!  or  you  are  all  dead  men!" 

At  that  instant  the  door  was  thrown  from  its  hinges,  and 
the  apartment  was  filled  with  the  American  Rangers,  all 
heavily  armed. 

"Surrender!  I  demand  it  in  the  name  of  the  conti 
nental  congress!"  exclaimed  the  leader  of  these  unwel 
come  intruders.  "  Resistance  is  useless,  and  escape  im- 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  65 

possible,  for  the  house  is  surrounded.     You  are  our  pris 
oners." 

Words  are  inadequate  to  depict  the  general  consterna 
tion  produced  by  this  alarming  salutation.  Some  flew  to 
the  attic;  others  retreated  as  precipitately  to  the  cellar; 
and  all  most  devoutly  wished  themselves  in  the  bowels  of 
the  hay-stack,  as  there  was  nothing  to  hope  from  the 
bowels  of  their  captors.  Several  attempted  to  throw  them 
selves  from  the  windows;  but  were  soon  convinced  that 
there  was  no  chance  of  escape  in  that  direction.  The 
secret,  but  unsuspected  cause  of  all  this  confusion  and 
dismay,  made  a  feint  of  concealing  himself  in  a  closet;  but 
was  quickly  dragged  forth,  and  compelled  to  share  the  fate 
of  his  companions,  who  were  manacled  in  pairs,  and 
marched,  like  felons,  to  the  village  of  White  Plains. 

6* 


66  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  VIL 

THE   ESCAPE  . 


-To  be  the  mark 


Of  smoky  muskets!    O  you  leaden  messengers, 
That  ride  upon  the  violent  speed  of  fire, 

Fly  with  false  aim. 

Shakspcare* 

THE  historic  events  connected  with  the  name  of  White 
Plains,  will  long  live  in  the  pages  of  American  history; 
and  if  the  reader  have  patience  to  accompany  us  through 
a  few  more  chapters,  he  will  acknowledge  that  there  is 
sufficient  cause  for  this  lasting  celebrity.  At  present,  we 
merely  wish  to  introduce  him  to  the  scene  of  so  many  im 
portant  transactions. 

Bronx  river,  a  beautiful  stream  of  water  that  rises  just 
on  the  south  line  of  Newcastle,  in  the  county  of  West- 
chester,  holds  its  course  nearly  due  south  to  the  village  of 
West  Farms,  from  whence  it  empties  into  the  East  river, 
between  Morrissania  and  Throg's  Neck.  A  few  miles 
east  of  this  stream,  and  nearly  parallel  with  it,  is  another 
called  Mamaroneck  creek,  which  empties  into  Long  Island 
Sound,  near  a  village  of  the  same  name. 

Between  these  two  little  rivers,  and  near  the  head  of  the 
latter,  is  the  township  of  White  Plains,  comprised  in  an 
area  of  about  eight  and  a  half  square  miles;  with  North- 
castle  on  the  north,  Harrison  on  the  east,  Scarsdale  on  the 
south,  and  Greensburgh  on  the  west.  On  a  fine  plain, 
near  the  centre  of  the  town,  stands  the  flourishing  little 


MEMOIKS   OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  67 

village  of  the  same  name,  which  has  been  the  theatre  of  so 
many  revolutionary  incidents.  The  reader  will  recollect 
that  we  left  our  prisoners  on  the  march  to  this  place,  under 
a  strong  escort  of  Townsend's  Rangers. 

On  arriving  at  the  village,  where  the  Committee  of  Safe 
ty  were  still  in  session,  awaiting  the  result  of  the  enter 
prise,  each  of  the  prisoners  underwent  a  partial  examina 
tion,  which  resulted  in  their  being  ordered  to  Fishkill,  there 
to  await  a  more  formal  investigation.  Our  hero  was  pri 
vately  reminded  that  he  must  still  continue  to  support  the 
character  he  had  assumed,  until  his  arrival  at  their  place  of 
destination,  when  some  means  should  be  provided  by  which 
he  might  effect  his  escape,  without  awakening  any  suspi 
cions  as  to  his  real  character. 

On  the  following  morning,  the  whole  party  resumed  their 
journey,  in  the  same  order  as  before.  After  a  march  of 
about  twenty-five  miles,  they  arrived  at,  Peekskill,  a  small 
village  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Hudson,  where  they  took 
boats,  and  crossed  the  river  to  Fort  Montgomery. (1)  Here 
the  prisoners  were  permitted  to  remain  a  short  time,  for  rest 
and  refreshment.  And  here  our  hero  encountered  the  most 
distressing  incident  that  he  had  ever  yet  experienced. 

On  entering  the  fortress,  the  first  person  he  recognised 
was  his  former  tutor,  the  worthy  gentleman  of  whom  a 
brief  notice  was  taken  at  the  conclusion  of  our  first  chapter. 
The  recognition  was  mutual ;  but  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  meeting  took  place,  rendered  it  peculiarly  painful 
to  both  parties. 

The  worthy  preceptor  started  with  terror  and  astonish 
ment,  on  beholding  his  favourite  pupil,  the  son  of  his  dear 
est  friend,  manacled  like  a  felon,  and  dragged  to  prison,  with 
a  gang  of  unprincipled  wretches,  under  the  ignominious 
charge  of  treason  to  their  country !  He  gazed  for  a  mo- 


68  TUB  SPY  rNMASKEDj    OR 

meat,  as  if  unwilling  to  believe  his  senses,-  then,  advancing 
to  the  prisoner,  and  seizing  him  by  the  hand,  he  exclaimed, 
with  an  emotion  that  it  was  impossible  to  conceal, 

"Enoch  Crosby ! — Tt  cannot  be  possible  ? — Explain  this 
horrid  mystery  ? — How  is  it  that  I  see  you  in  this  situ 
ation  ?" 

Crosby  instinctively  returned  the  friendly  pressure  of 
his  tutor's  hand;  then  easting  his  eyes  on  the  ground,  he 
meekly  replied, 

"You  see  me  as  I  am.  I  have  no  explanation  to  offer." 
"Is  it  possible  ?  Is  it  then  true  that  you  have  turned  traitor 
to  your  country,  and  are  now  a  prisoner  to  her  brave  de 
fenders?  It  cannot  be.  There  must  be  some  dreadful 
mistake.  Speak,  and  relieve  me  from  this  fearful  suspense. 
Have  you  been  concerned  in  the  secret  plots  for  which  these 
men  are  now  in  custody?" 

"Were  it  not  so,"  replied  Crosby,  with  a  slight  tremor  in 
his  voice,  "we  should  both  have  been  spared  the  pain  of 
this  interview." 

"O,  who  shall  tell  your  poor  old  father  this?"  exclaimed 
the  other,  dropping  his  pupil's  hand,  and  clasping  both  his 
own  together  in  agony,  while  the  big  tears  coursed  each 
other  down  his  furrowed  cheeks.  "What  will  be  the  feel 
ings  of  your  doating  parents,  when  they  learn  that  the  son 
to  whom  they  looked  as  the  pride  and  prop  of  their  de 
clining  age,  has  proved  unworthy  of  the  care  and  affection 
which  have  been  so  freely  lavished  upon  him !  That  he  has 
forgotten  the  precepts  of  his  father — the  lessons  of  his 
teacher — and  is  a  convicted  traitor  to  his  country !  The 
news  will  break  their  hearts." 

For  the  first  time,  Crosby  now  felt  the  full  weight  of  the 
cross  to  which  he  had  voluntarily  lent  his  shoulder.  He 
fait — and  it  almost  crushed  him.  But  it  was  too  late  to 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  69 

recede;  he  had  put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  dared  not 
look  back.  With  a  groan  of  anguish,  he  lifted  up  his  man 
ly  form  beneath  the  load.  The  effort  was  desperate,  but 
it  was  successful. 

"Spare  me,"  he  faintly  articulated,  as  he  brushed  a  tru 
ant  tear  from  his  eye,  and  turned  to  accompany  his  fellow- 
captives  to  their  quarters.  "There  is  one  who  knows — 
who  judges — who  approves.  He  will  comfort  my  parents. 
Farewell." 

So  saying,  he  departed  with  the  rest,  leaving  his  good 
old  tutor  to  lament  an  apostacy  as  unexpected  and  inex 
plicable  as  it  was  mortifying  and  distressing.  The  old  gen 
tleman  immediately  despatched  a  letter  to  the  elder  Crosby, 
in  which  he  communicated  the  afflicting  intelligence  with 
as  much  caution,  delicacy,  and  gentleness,  as  possible.  It 
was  a  blow  for  which  the  parents  were  not  prepared ;  but  it 
is  not  our  province  to  pojjfrtray  their  feelings  on  the  occa- 
sion.  We  must  accompany  the  son. 

From  Fort  Montgomery,  the  prisoners  were  again  em 
barked,  and  proceeded  up  the  river,  through  the  lofty  and 
sublime  scenery  of  the  Highlands,  and  between  those  Her 
culean  pillars  of  the  western  world,  which  are  supposed  to 
have  been  once  united  in  an  adamantine  barrier  across  the 
present  course  of  the  majestic  Hudson.  Leaving  WTest 
Point  and  Butter-Hill  on  the  left,  and  the  Collossean  break- 
neck,(2)  St.  Anthony,  on  the  right,  a  beautiful  champaign 
country  opened  at  once  upon  their  view.  Here  the  pleas 
ant  villages  of  New-Windsor,  Newburgh,  and  Fishkill,  with 
the  smiling  landscapes  beyond  them,  presented  a  charming 
contrast  to  the  rude  scenery  which  our  voyagers  had  just 
left  behind  them. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  Fishkill  creek,  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Hudson,  nearly  opposite  Newburgh,  the  prison- 


70  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

ers  were  landed;  and  from  thence  proceeded  on  foot,  un 
der  their  former  escort,  along  the  delightful  valley,  then 
thickly  studded  with  trees,  through  which  that  stream  pur 
sues  its  sinuous  course  to  the  river.  A  march  of  five  miles 
brought  them  to  the  beautiful  little  village  which  was  to 
terminate  their  journey. 

Here  the  captive  loyalists  were  committed  to  prison;  or, 
rather,  conducted  to  church,  for  such  was  the  edifice  which 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  times  had  converted  into 
a  strong  hold  for  the  safe  keeping  of  prisoners  of  war.  It 
was  a  low  antiquated  building,  in  the  Dutch  style  of  archi 
tecture,  with  enormous  thick  walls  of  rough  stone,  pierced 
with  two  rows  of  arched  windows.  The  main  building  was 
an  oblong  square,  with  a  square  tower  attached  to  the  eas 
tern  extremity,  from  the  top  of  which  arose  a  modest  Gothic 
steeple,  surmounted  by  a  ball  and  weathercock.  The  prin 
cipal  entrance  was  in  the  centre  of  the  south  side,  fronting 
the  road  which  led  from  the  village  to  the  river. 

Instead  of  the  sepulchral  yew,  with  which  romance  has 
invariably  embellished  such  consecrated  ground,  a  number 
of  luxuriant  willows  here  cast  a  melancholy  shade  among 
the  rustic  memorials  of  departed  worth.  Here  it  was  that 
little  groups  of  villagers  were  wont  to  assemble  on  a  Sab 
bath  morning;  and,  while  they  awaited  the  appearance  of 
their  pious  clergyman,  reverently  discuss  the  local  news 
and  politics  of  the  day. 

But,  alas !  even  the  hallowed  rites  of  the  sanctuary  must 
sometimes  give  place  to  the  blighting  footsteps  of  ruthless 
war!  That  roof  which  had  so  often  resounded  with  the 
language  of  "peace,  and  good  will  to  man,"  was  now  re 
echoing  with  the  curses  of  disappointed  malevolence.  The 
stone  church  had  become  a  prison,  as  its  more  humble  neigh 
bour,  (a  wooden  church  without  a  steeple,)  had,  for  similar 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH  CROSBY.  71 

reasons,  been  converted  into  a  hospital  for  the  sick  and 
wounded.  If  this  be  sacrilege,  of  what  was  that  British 
General  guilty,  who  prostituted  an  elegant  church  in  Bos 
ton  to  the  purposes  of  a  stable!  But  this  is  digression. 
Our  present  business  is  at  Fishkill. 

This  pleasant  little  village,  (situated  in  a  township  of  the 
same  name,)  is  in  the  county  of  Duchess,  north  of  the 
Highlands,  and  about  five  miles  east  from  the  Hudson.  It 
consists  of  a  handsome  collection  of  neat  white  farm-houses, 
with  here  and  there  a  mansion  of  more  ample  dimensions 
and  showy  exterior.  These  buildings  are  principally  erec 
ted  on  a  semi-circular  street,  a  little  north  of  a  correspond 
ing  bend  in  the  stream  before  mentioned ;  and  in  the  midst 
of  them,  on  a  little  plain,  are  the  two  churches,  rising  with 
modest  dignity  above  the  elevation  of  the  humbler  man 
sions  around  them. 

The  first  appearance  of  this  village  in  approaching  it 
from  the  south,  is  picturesque  in  the  extreme.  After 
toiling,  for  fifteen  miles,  among  the  rugged  *  hills  and 
shapeless  rocks,  between  which  the  road  winds  its  serpen 
tine  course;  when  there  appears  no  prospect  of  a  speedy 
termination  to  the  traveller's  fatigue;  and  when  his  im 
patience  begins  to  despair  of  relief;  at  that  moment,  the 
village  and  plains  of  Fishkill  suddenly  open  upon  his  view 
with  the  effect  of  enchantment,  affording  an  ample  com 
pensation  for  all  his  previous  anxiety  and  perplexity. 

Although  this  is  the  oldest  village  in  tho  county  of 
Duchess,  it  was  but  thinly  populated  at  the  time  of  whkJh 
we  are  writing.  The  Marquis  de  Chateleux,  who  visited 
it  four  years  afterwards,  when  it  had  become  the  principal 
depot  of  the  American  army,  says,  "  There  are  not  more 
than  fifty  houses  in  the  space  of  two  miles."  He  adds, 
however,  that  the  American  magazines,  hospitals,  work- 


72  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

shops,  &LC.  "  form  a  little  town  of  themselves,  composed 
of  handsome  large  barracks,  built  in  the  wood  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains."  It  is  well  known,  that  Fishkill  pos 
sessed  all  the  qualities  necessary  for  a  place  of  military 
depot,  at  this  critical  period;  being  situated  on  the  high 
road  from  Connecticut,  near  the  river  and  West  Point,  that 
"Gibraltar  of  America;"  and  protected,  at  the  same  time, 
by  a  chain  of  inaccessible  mountains,  which  occupy  a 
space  of  more  than  twenty  miles  between  the  Croton  river 
and  that  of  Fishkill. 

But  whatever  local  advantages,  or  rural  charms,  this 
village  might  have  boasted  in  the  year  1776,  they  were  all 
lost  on  the  wretched  inmates  of  the  stone  church.  The 
Committee  of  Safety  had  arrived  from  White  Plains,  and 
were  now  in  session,  at  a  farm-house  within  a  few  rdHs  of 
their  prison.  Thither  were  the  newly-arrived  captives 
conducted,  one  by  one,  to  undergo  a  second  private  exam 
ination.  The  muster-roll,  and  other  papers  found  on  the 
person  of  their  leader,  were  considered  as  a  sufficient  testi 
mony  of  their  traitorous  intentions:  they  were,  therefore, 
remanded  to  prison  to  await  a  more  formal  investigation 
before  a  competent  tribunal. 

Crosby,  in  his  turn,  was  also  placed  at  the  bar  of  this 
military  inquisition.  On  entering  the  apartment  where 
his  employers  were  seated  in  all  that  magisterial  dignity 
which  surrounds,  or  is  supposed  to  surround,  the  stern  arbi 
ters  of  life  and  death,  he  affected  such  extreme  reluc- 
jfance  to  advance,  as  rendered  it  necessary  for  the  officer 
in  attendance  to  compel  him  to  proceed.  With  clanking 
chains,  and  an  aspect  of  vacant  despair,  he  at  length  ap 
proached  the  awful  bar,  and  tremblingly  awaited  the 
pleasure  of  his  judges.  A  lurking  smile  was  visible  in 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  73 

each  of  their  visages;  but  the  prisoner  appeared  to  be  too 
much  agitated  with  terror  to  observe  it. 

O 

As  soon  as  the  officer  had  resumed  his  station  on  the 
outside  of  the  door,  however,  and  Crosby  was  left  alone 
with  the  Committee,  the  characters  were,  changed;  for 
they  at  once  lost  the  gravity  of  judges,  and  laughed  out 
right  at  a  scene  which  so  nearly  approached  the  ludicrous. 
When  their  merriment  had  a  little  subsided,  they  highly 
commended  Crosby  for  the  effective  manner  in  which  he 
had  performed  his  part,  and  the  important  service  he  had 
thereby  rendered  to  his  country.  They  then  consulted 
with  him  on  the  best  mode  of  making  his  escape;  and 
requested  him,  when  that  was  effected,  to  repair  with  all 
possible  diligence,  to  Wappinger's  Creek,  and  call  upon 
Mr.  *•****,  who  would  furnish  him  with  further  instruc 
tions,  as  "there  was  business  for  him  on  the  other  side  the 
Hudson." 

Crosby  signified  his  readiness  to  continue  in  this  hazard 
ous  and  disreputable  service;  but  suggested  the  propriety 
of  his  assuming  a  different  name,  in  order  to  prosecute  it 
with  greater  effect.  The  committee  approved  the  idea, 
and  it  was  finally  understood  between  them,  that  all  com 
munications  from  their  secret  agent  would,  in  future,  bear 
the  signature  of  "JOHN  SMITH." 

As  soon  as  these  preliminaries  were  all  duly  adjusted, 
the  Committee  resumed  their  former  stern  deportment,  and 
Crosby  his  fictitious  character.  The  officer  re-entered, 
and,  in  obedience  to  orders,  led  his  trembling  prisoner  back 
to  the  church. 

On  the  approach  of  night,  a  competent  number  of  sol 
diers  were  detailed  for  the  prison  guard,  some  of  whom 
were  stationed  in  the  basement  of  the  tower,  to  guard  the 
eastern  entrance  of  the  building,  On  the  outside,  four 

7 


74  THE   SPY   UNMASKED;   OR 

armed  sentinels  were  posted  in  as  many  different  positions] 
corresponding  to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass. 
The  remainder  of  the  little  force  then  in  the  village,  were 
in  barracks,  at  a  short  distance  from  the  church. 

In  entering  and  leaving  his  prison,  Crosby  had  hastily 
reconnoitred  the  premises  without;  and  after  his  attend 
ance  on  the  Committee,  he  lost  no  time  in  making  his 
observations  within.  He  soon  ascertained  that  there  was 
only  one  avenue  through  which  an  escape  could  be  at 
tempted  with  the  least  probability  of  success;  and  that 
was  a  window  at  the  extreme  northwest  corner,  which 
was  partially  obscured  by  the  thick  foliage  of  a  large  wil 
low  that  grew  near  it.  Screened  from  observation  by  the 
friendly  gloom  of  this  tree,  he  thought  it  practicable  to 
pass  the  sentinel  and  clear  the  church-yard  in  safety.  Or, 
should  he  not  be  able  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  guard, 
still  the  uncertainty  of  his  aim  in  that  shadowy  position, 
would  leave  little  to  apprehend  from  the  discharge  of  his 
musket.  At  all  events,  he  determined  to  make  the  ex 
periment. 

Harassed  in  mind,  and  fatigued  in  body,  the  prisoners 
soon  availed  themselves  of  such  indifferent  accommoda 
tions  as  their  situation  afforded;  and  before  the  "noon  of 
night,"  there  were  few,  besides  Crosby,  who  were  not 
fast  locked  in  the  arms  of  sweet  forgetful  ness.  But,  as 
Hamlet  says, 


may  watch,  M'hile- others  sleep, 
Thus  runs  the  world  away. 


When  every  sound  was  hushed,  save  the  discordant 
nasal  chorus  of  the  unconscious  performers  around  him, 
Crosby  arose  from  his  counterfeit  slumber,  and  cautiously 
approached  the  window,  from  which  he  had  previously 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  75 

succeeded  in  removing  the  fastenings.  Without  noise,  he 
raised  the  sash, 

«  And,  that  they  might  not  clank,  held  fast  his  chains." 

In  the  next  moment,  he  was  safely  seated  on  the  soft  mould 
of  a  newly-covered  grave,  busily  employed  in  divesting  his 
limbs  of  their  iron  bracelets.  When  this  was  accomplished, 
he  cautiously  raised  himself  upon  his  feet;  and,  knowing 
that  a  thick  swamp  lay  within  one  hundred  rods,  north 
west  of  the  church,  he  started  in  that  direction  with  as 
much  speed  as  the  uneven  surface  of  the  bury  ing-ground 
would  permit. 

lie  had  not  proceeded  fifty  paces,  however,  before  he 
was  suddenly  challenged  by  a  sentinel  on  his  right.  Hesi- 
•  tation  would  have  been  fatal.  The  swamp  was  before 
him — the  path  had  become  plainer — he  darted  forward 
with  the  celerity  of  a  deer.  The  whizzing  of  a  bullet  and 
the  report  of  a  musket  saluted  his  ear  at  the  same  moment; 
but  he  considered  the  salutation  merely  as  a  frie/dly  warn 
ing  not  to  relax  his  speed.  The  race  was  for  life  or  death; 
for  the  alarm  was  given,  and  "the  chase  was  up."  Three 
or  four  more  leaden  messengers,(3)  each  as  harmless  as 
the  first,  passed  him  in  quick  succession;  and,  as  if  emu 
lating  their  velocity,  he  pursued  them  with  accelerated 
swiftness.  The  pursuers  were  behind — but  the  friendly 
swamp  was  in  front,  extending  its  bushy  arms  to  receive 
him.  One  more  effort^he  is  safe  \ 


76  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    MOUNTAIN    CAVE. 

Honour  and  policy,  like  unsevered  friends, 
I'  the  war  do  grow  up  together. 

Shaksp  tare. 

WHILE  the  foregoing  events  were  transpiring  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Highlands,  transactions  of  higher  impor 
tance  and  on  a  much  larger  scale,  were  going  forward  forty 
miles  below.  It  was  an  important  object  with  Washington 
to  secure  the  roads  and  passes  that  communicated  with  the , 
eastern  states;  to  prevent  which,  Howe  had  left  New- 
York,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  royal  army,  by  the  way 
of  Hurlgate,  and  landed  as  before  mentioned,  at  Throg's 
Neck,  in  Westchester  county.  It  was  evidently  the  deter 
mination  of  the  British  General,  either  to  force  the  Amer 
icans  from  their  position  on  York  Island,  or  to  enclose 
them  in  it. 

Aware  of  his  design,  Washington  removed  a  part  of  his 
troops  from  York  Island  to  join  those  at  Kingsbridge; 
and,  at  the  same  time  detached  some  regiments  to  West- 
Chester.  It  still  appeared  to  be  his  intention,  however, 
to  retain  that  part  of  the  island  which  he  now  occupied  ; 
and  there  was  certainly  a  prevailing  disposition  among  the 
officers  generally  to  do  the  same.  But  the  gallant  Lee, 
who  had  just  returned  from  a  successful  expedition  at  the 
sou th,(l)  gave  such  convincing  reasons  for  evacuating  the 
island  altogether,  that  it  was  immediately  resolved  to  with 
draw  the  bulk  of  the  armv. 


MEMOIRS   OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  T7 

He  also  urged  the  expediency  of  evacuating  fort  Wash 
ington  ;(2)  but  in  this  he  was  opposed  by  Greene,  who 
argued,  that  the  possession  of  that  post  would  divert  a  large 
body  of  the  enemy  from  joining  their  main  force;  and  in 
conjunction  with  Fort  Lee,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  would  be  of  great  service  in  covering  the  transpor 
tation  of  provisions  and  stores,  up  the  Hudson,  for  the 
service  of  the  American  troops.  He  added  farther,  that 
the  garrison  could  be  brought  off  at  any  time,  by  boats 
from  the  Jersey  side  of  the  river. 

Unfortunately  for  the  cause,  the  opinion  of  Greene  pre 
vailed.  Though  the  system  of  evacuating  and  retreating 
was  generally  adopted,  an  exception  was  made  in  favour 
of  Fort  Washington,  and  near  three  thousand  men  were 
assigned  for  its  defence.  An  unfortunate  error,  as  will 
appear  in  the  sequel;  for,  as  Adjutant-General  JRead  after 
wards  said,  in  a  letter  to  Lee,  "If  a  real  defence  of  the 
lines  was  intended,  the  number  was  too  few;  if  the  fort 
only,  the  garrison  was  too  numerous  by  half." 

'In  retreating  from  York  Island,  the  American  leader 
was  careful  to  make  a  front  towards  his  enemy,  from 
Eastchester  almost  to  White  Plains,  in  order  to  secure  the 
march  of  those  who  were  behind,  and  to  defend  the  re 
moval  of  the  sick,  the  cannon,  and  the  stores  of  the  army. 
In  this  manner,  the  Americans  formed  a  line  of  small, 
detached,  intrenched  camps,  on  the  several  heights  and 
strong  grounds,  from  Valentine's  Hill,  near  Kingsbridge, 
on  the  right,  to  the  vicinity  of  the  White  Plains,  on  the  left; 
the  whole,  of  course,  fronting  eastward. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  enemy  was  not  idle;  although  he 
had,  apparently,  been  so,  for  several  days  after  his  landing 
at  Throg's  Neck — which  is  a  kind  of  mole  or  point,  con 
nected  with  the  main  by  a  long  causeway,  through  a  marshy 

7* 


78  THE  SPY   UNMASKED;   OR 

tract  of  considerable  extent.  His  spies,  however,  had  been 
on  the  alert ;  and  the  first  movement  of  Washington  was 
the  signal  for  Howe  to  commence  his  favourite  scheme  of 
circumvention. 

Flushed  with  his  recent  victory  on  Long  Island,  the 
British  General  ardently  longed  to  grapple,  once  more, 
with  his  discomfitted  opponent.  But  Washington  wisely 
considered  that  the  prize  at  stake  was  of  too  much  value 
to  be  risked  on  the  fortuitous  result  of  a  single  contest, 
under  his  present  disadvantages  of  numbers  and  discipline. 
He,  therefore,  cautiously  avoided  a  general  engagement, 
while  his  troops  were  daily  acquiring  confidence  and  ex 
perience  by  skirmishing  with  their  enemies. 

After  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  pass  the  cause 
way  before  mentioned,  which  was  strongly  guarded  by  the 
Americans,  the  British  crossed  to  the  other  side  of  Throg's 
Neck,  embarked  on  board  their  boats,  crossed  over  the 
cove,  and  re-landed  on  a  place  called  Pell's  Neck.  From 
thence  they  commenced  a  brisk  movement  towards  New- 
Rochelle.(3)  Three  or  four  American  regiments  were 
immediately  sent  forward  to  annoy  them  on  their  march. 
These  took  a  good  position  behind  a  stone  fence;  and 
when  the  advance  of  the  enemy  had  approached  suffi 
ciently  near,  poured  such  a  well-directed  fire  upon  his 
columns,  as  caused  many  of  his  finest  troops  to  bite  the 
dust.  This  unexpected  assault  not  only  checked,  but 
even  caused  the  advancing  party  to  fall  back ;  but,  being 
immediately  supported,  they  returned  vigorously  to  the 
charge.  For  a  short  time  the  action  was  sharp  and  well 
supported ;  but  the  Americans  were  finally  obliged  to  give 
way  to  superior  force,  and  the  enemy  pursued  his  march 
almost  to  New-Rochelle,  where  he  halted. 


MEMOIRS    OP    HNOCII   CHOSBY.  70 

Shortly  after  this  affair,  Howe  removed  the  right  and 
centre  of  his  army  two  miles  farther  north,  on  the  road  to 
White  Plains,  During  this  movement,  a  skirmish  took 
place  between  two  hundred  of  Lee's  men,  and  three  hun 
dred  Hessians,  in  which  the  latter  suffered  considerably. 
The  British  then  moved  on,  in  two  columns,  and  took  a 
position  with  the  Bronx  river,  in  front ;(4)  upon  which 
Washington  assembled  his  main  force  at  White  Plains, 
behind  intrenchments. 

Thus,  like  two  skilful  chess-players,  did  these  able  Gen 
erals  mancEuvre  their  men;  while  the  theatre  of  their 
movements,  like  an  immense  chess-board,  was  crossed  with 
lines,  and  chequered  with  redoubts  and  intrenchments. 
But  an  important  crisis  in  the  game  was  now  evidently  at 
hand ;  one  more  move  must,  apparently,  decide  it.  Heaven 
grant  that  it  may  be  "checkmate  to  the  king." 

But  while  these  two  gallant  opponents  are  thus  sternly 
looking  defiance  at  each  other,  both  eagerly  watching 
for  an  opening  to  strike,  it  is  our  duty  to  return  to  the 
fugitive  whom  we  left  in  the  swamp,  near  the  village  of 
Fishkill. 

Crosby  remained  secure  in  this  place  of  concealment, 
until  every  sound  of  alarm  and  pursuit  had  ceased;  he 
then  proceeded,  with  no  little  difficulty,  to  grope  his  way 
through  bushes  and  brambles,  quagmires  and  morasses. 
He  doubtless  reasoned  with  himself,  on  this  occasion,  as 
jfEsop's  fox  is  said  to  have  done,  under  similar  circum 
stances  "  For  the  sake  of  the  good,  let  me  bear  the  evil 
with  patience;  each  bitter  has  its  sweet;  and  these  bram 
bles,  though  they  wound  my  flesh,  preserve  my  life  from 
danger." 

After  much  exertion  and  fatigue,  hesuoceded  in  emerg 
ing  from  the  thicket;  and,  fortunately,  on  the  side  opposite 


80  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

to  where  he  entered.  He  then  pursued  his  course  north 
ward,  with  the  speed  of  one  who  is  sensible  that  every  step 
removes  him  farther  from  danger. 

In  less  than  two  hours,  he  found  his  course  impeded  by 
a  stream,  which  he  rightly  conjectured  to  be  Wappinger's 
Creek,  the  boundary  line  between  Fishkill  and  Pough- 
keepsie.(5) 

Agreeably  to  the  instructions  he  had  received  from  the 
Committee,  he  now  turned  to  the  left,  and  a  short  half  hour 
brought  him  to  the  residence  of  Mr.  *****. 

To  be  suddenly  aroused  from  bed,  by  some  hasty  mes 
senger,  at  any  hour  of  the  night,  had  become  so  common 
an  occurrence,  since  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
that  this  gentleman  evinced  no  symptoms  of  surprise  or 
alarm,  when  he  appeared  at  the  door  in  his  night-gown 
and  slippers,  to  answer  to  the  knock  of  his  untimely 
visiter.  A  few  brief  sentences,  exchanged  in  a  low  voice, 
convinced  both  that  they  were  treading  on  safe  ground. 
Crosby  was,  therefore,  requested  to  enter  and  be  seated, 
while  the  other  retired  to  resume  such  habiliments  as  were 
better  adapted  to  the  purposes  of  business. 

On  the  return  of  his  host,  Crosby  was  informed  that  his 
coining  had  been  anxiously  waited  for,  as  the  Committee 
had  intimated  that  he  might  be  expected  before  midnight. 
Refreshments  were  then  introduced;  and  while  the  weary 
traveller  was  diligently  employed  in  appeasing  the  cra 
vings  of  a  voracious  o.ppetite,  his  entertainer  proceeded  to 
"open  the  business  of  the  meeting." 

It  appeared,  that  Mr.  *****  had  received  certain  infor 
mation  that  an  English  officer  was  privately  enrolling  a 
company,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  This  fact  he  had 
communicated  to  the  Committee  of  Safety,  on  their  arrival 
at  Fishkill;  and  they  had  agreed  to  send  him  an  agent 


MEMOIRS   OF   BNOCH   CROSBY.  81 

with  whom  he  might  concert  some  feasible  plan  for  seizing 
the  officer^  and  making  prisoners  of  his  men* 

This  being  a  business  in  which  Crosby,  to  use  his  own 
expression,  felt  himself  "perfectly  at  home,"  he  readily 
entered  into  the  scheme,  and  undertook  to  see  it  accom 
plished  by  his  own  ingenuity  and  address.  This  proposi 
tion  was  gladly  acceded  to  by  his  host,  who  gave  him  such 
instructions  as  would  tend  to  facilitate  the  project;  and, 
before  daylight  our  hero  was  safely  landed  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  in  the  town  of  Marlborough,  a  little 
north  of  Newburgh. 

Agreeably  to  the  directions  he  had  received,  Crosby  im 
mediately  struck  into  the  country  in  a  northwestern  course 
from  the  river;  and,  after  proceeding  about  twelve  miles, 
applied  at  a  farm-house  for  refreshment.  Here  a  com 
fortable  breakfast  was  cheerfully  prepared  for  him;  and, 
while  partaking  of  it,  he  received  such  topographical  infor 
mation,  as  convinced  him  that  ho  had  reached  the  right 
spot  to  commence  operations. 

After  finishing  his  repast,  therefore,  he  began  to  make 
himself  known  as  an  itinerant  shoemaker,  in  pursuit  of 
work;  and  intimated  a  wish  of  being  employed  to  make 
shoes  for  the  farmer  or  his  family. 

"  I  wish  to  do  something  to  pay  my  way,"  added  Crosby, 
with  an  honest  simplicity  which  he  well  knew  how  to  as 
sume;  "as  I  don't  like  to  be  beholden  to  any  one  for  a 
meal's  victuals  or  a  night's  lodging." 

"That's  all  very  right,"  returned  the  farmer;  "every 
honest  man  would  wish  to  live  by  his  own  airnens." 

"Well,  don't  you  think  that  you  could  give  me  some 
thing  to  do  for  a  few  days  ?  If  you  are  not  in  want  of  shoes, 
I  would'nt  care  to  turn  my  hand  to  any  thing." 


82  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

"Why,  yes,"  replied  the  other,  after  a  little  reflection j 
"  I  rather  guess  that  I  should  like  to  have  you  work  for  me 
a  day  or  two.  It  is  true,  I  have  no  shoemaking  to  do  at 
present;  but  if  you  can  help  me  on  the  farm,  in  killing 
hogs,  and  sich  like,  I  should  like  to  have  you,  and  my  wife 
shall  assist  you. 

Crosby,  readily  consented ;  and,  as  there  was  no  cavil 
on  the  score  of  wages,  the  bargain  was  soon  struck.  He 
accordingly  went  to  work  with  that  characteristic  diligence 
and  assiduity  which  was  always  certain  to  win  the  appro 
bation  of  his  employers, 

But  though  his  whole  time  and  attention  appeared  to  be 
devoted  to  the  duties  of  his  new  vocation,  his  grand  object 
was  never  lost  sight  of.  At  every  fitting  opportunity,  he 
strove,  by  sundry  indirect,  and  apparently  indifferent,  in 
quiries,  to  elicit  some  information  from  the  family,  that 
might  assist  in  the  prosecution  of  his  ulterior  designs.  For 
two  days  he  was  unsuccessful;  but,  on  the  third,  he  was 
indebted  to  accident  for  what  his  ingenuity  had  been  vainly 
exerted  to  obtain. 

It  was  a  rnild  morning,  near  the  close  of  October,  that 
Crosby  and  his  employer  were  making  some  arrangements 
for  the  business  of  the  day,  when  their  attention  was  ar 
rested  by  a  sound  that  resembled  distant  thunder.  It 
came  from  the  southeast,  from  whence  a  light  air  was 
breathing;  but  neither  cloud  nor  rack  appeared  in  that 
quarter. 

"Can  that  be  thunder?"  asked  Crosby. 

"I  should  rather  guess  not,"  replied  the  other;  "we  sil- 
dom  have  it  so  late  in  the  fall.  It  is  more  likely  the  two 
parties  are  skrimmagirig  below." 

"They  must  be  skirmishing  to  some  purpose,"  observed 
Crosby.  "That  is  the  language  of  artillery,  and  not  of  the 


MEMOIRS   OP   ENOCH   CROSBY.  83 

smallest  calibre.  And  yet,"  continued  he,  in  a  soliloqui 
zing  tone,  "they  cannot  be  above  the  Plains."  Then,  turn 
ing  to  his  companion,  he  inquired  if  he  thought  the  report 
of  cannon  could  be  heard  so  far. 

"Why,  yes,  I  should  say  so,"  replied  the  other.  "From 
here  to  White  Plains  is  only  about  forty  miles,  in  a  straight 
line;  and  in  the  last  French  war,  when  General  Aber- 
crombie  was  beat  at  Ticonderoga,  the  cannon  was  heard 
at  Saratogue,  which  is  over  fifty  miles,  as  plain  as  we  hear 
these." 

The  sounds  still  continued,  without  much  intermission, 
while  both  remained  silent,  and  listened  with  interest.  At 
length  Crosby  ventured  to  observe — 

"They  must  have  warm  work  below.  Both  parties  must 
lose  blood,  which  ever  gains  the  day." 

"Ah!  these  are  awful  times '."sighed  the  other.  "There's 
no  telling  how  it  will  end." 

"What  do  you  think  of  all  this  business?"  asked  Cros 
by,  in  a  tone  that  did  not  indicate  much  interest  in  the 
question. 

"Why,  really,  I  don't  know  what  to  think,"  replied  the 
other,  evasively.  "Sometimes  1  think  it  is  a  very  doubtful 
case  with  us;  and  then,  again,  I  almost  think,  if  I  had  a 
good  chance,  and  no  family  to  support,  that  I  would  just  go 
down  to  the  lower  party.  But,  you  know,  it  won't  do  for 
me  to  say  so." 

"Perhaps  you  could'nt  get  down  there  safe,  if  you  felt 
even  so  much  disposed  to  go,"  said  Crosby,  in  a  tone  that 
might  be  considered  interrogatory  or  not,  as  the  auditor 
pleased. 

"O,  yes,  I  could,"  returned  the  other,  with  a  significant 
leer,  that  intimated  the  speaker  knew  more  than  he  was 
at  liberty  to  communicate. 


A 


84  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Like  a  keen  pointer,  Crosby  had  now  scented  the  game, 
and  was  determined  to  persevere  in  the  pursuit;  he  there 
fore,  promptly  answered — 

"Well,  T  wish  that  J  could;  for  I  believe  that  I  might  do 
better  there  than  by  staying  here." 

The  other  turned  on  him  a  look  of  cautious  scrutiny; 
but,  reading  nothing  in  his  countenance  to  excite  suspicion, 
he  ventured  to  observe — - 

"I  can  tell  you,  if  you  promise  not  to  expose  me,  how  you 
can  get  there  if  you  wish." 

"Of  course,  I  will  not  expose  you ;  for  how  can  I,  with 
out  exposing  myself?  I  will  be  much  obliged  to  you  if 
you  will  assist  me  in  going  down,  so  that  I  may  not  be  de 
tected  by  the  rebels." 

"Well,  then  I  will  tell  you,"  returned  the  other,  with  re 
newed  confidence;  at  the  same  time  looking  cautiously 
around,  in  every  direction,  to  ascertain  that  no  listeners 
were  near.  "Do  you  see  yonder  mountain?  On  the  west 
side  of  it  is  a  curious  little  cave,  that's  been  dug  o'  purpose; 
but  you  might  pass  it  a  hundred  times  without  knowing 
there  was  sich  a  thing  there.  In  that  cave,  an  English 
Captain  keeps  himself  concealed;  and  we,  who  are  in  the 
secret,  supply  him  with  every  thing  that  heart  can  wish. 
He  is  recruiting  among  the  Highlands,  and  has  nearly  got 
his  company  filled." 

"I  will  offer  myself  immediately,"  exclaimed  Crosby, 
with  a  sudden  animation,  that  might  have  excited  suspicions 
in  the  mind  of  a  keener  observer  than  his  companion;  who, 
without  noticing  it,  replied — 

"Well — -I  will  tell  you  just  where  you  can  go  to  find 
him;  or,  wait  till  after  dark,  and  I  will  go  with  you." 

"That  will  be  the  very  thing,"  returned  our  hero,  in* 
wardly  chuckling  at  the  success  of  his  manoeuvre.  "By 
oining  his  company,  I  can  go  down  in  safety." 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH   CROSBY.  85 

"  No  doubt  of  it.  But  we  must  be  very  cautious.  In 
these  times,  every  one  is  watching  his  next  neighbour." 

"You  may  depend  upon  my  prudence,"  returned  Crosby. 
"  1  have  no  inclination  to  get  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels 
again;  it  was  at  the  hazard  of  my  life  that  I  escaped  from 
them  at  Fishkill." 

"What!  have  you  really  been  taken  by  them?  Why, 
how  in  nature  did  you  get  away?" 

Crosby  here  recapitulated  the  particulars  of  his  escape 
from  the  stone  church,  and  then  added — 

"  They  are  obstinate  dogs,  for,  you  hear,  they  are  at  it 
yet." 

"Let  the  riglars  get  them  at  close  quarters,  with  the 
baggonet,  and  the  rebels  will  stand  no  chance,"  replied  the 
other.  "They  must  be  at  long  shot  now,  or  the  skrim- 
mage  would  not  last  so  long." 

Here  the  conversation  ended;  and,  separating  to  pursue 
their  respective  avocations,  they  met  no  more  till  supper 
time.  After  which  they  set  out,  according  to  agreement, 
to  seek  an  interview  with  the  military  hermit  in  the  "cave 
of  the  mountain." 

On  arriving  at  the  western  side  of  this  lofty  eminence 
which  our  hero's  conductor  had  pointed  out  to  him  in 
the  morning,  they  paused  near  a  clump  of  dwarf  cedars 
which  grew  at  its  base.  In  front  of  them  was  a  dark 
looking  object,  which  proved  to  be  a  huge  rock,  cleft  in 
twain  by  some  concussion  of  the  elements,  or  by  a  precipi 
tate  descent  from  the  dizzy  steep  above  it.  With  a  heavy 
stick,  which  the  farmer  carried  with  him,  he  struck  seve 
ral  blows,  in  quick  succession,  on  the  flat  surface  of  the 
rock;  and,  in  a  short  time,  a  bright  ray  of  light  darted 
from  behind  it,  and  gradually  increased  in  brilliancy.  In 
the  next  moment  the  object  of  their  visit  stood  before  t 

8 


86  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

with  a  small  lantern  in  his  hand,  by  the  aid  of  which 
he  took  a  critical  survey  of  his  visitors  without  speaking. 
He  then  bid  the  farmer  welcome,  who  promptly  introduced 
his  companion  as  "  John  Smith,  a  faithful  friend  to  his 
majesty,"  and  instantly  disappeared. 

The  Captain  received  Crosby  very  cordially;  and  after 
numerous  inquiries,  to  all  of  which  he  received  plausible 
and  satisfactory  answers,  he  at  length  exclaimed — 

"  Well,  sir,  you  appear  to  have  limb  and  muscle,  and 
would  make  a  clever  looking  soldier.  I  should  like  to 
have  you  in  my  corps  of  Highlanders,  which  have  just 
been  collected.  Come,  what  say  you?" 

"I  have  not  the  least  objection,"  replied  Crosby;  "and 
as  I  have  no  fixed  home,  or  place  to  go  to,  I  should  like  to 
stay  with  you;  for  if  the  rebels  catch  me  again,  they  will 
show  me  nc  mercy." 

"Agreed!"  exclaimed  the  Captain,  after  eyeing  him 

sharply  for  a  few  moments.  "  You  are  a  d d  honest 

looking  fellow,  and  I'll  try  you.  Come  sir;  see  if  you  can 
double  up  that  gigantic  carcase  of  yours  so  as  to  get  into 
that  hole,"  pointing  to  the  mouth  of  an  artificial  excava 
tion  in  the  mountain,  just  behind  the  cloven  rock,  which 
Crosby  had  not  before  observed. 

The  new  recruit  instantly  obeyed  the  orders  of  his  sw- 
perior,  and  found  himself  in  a  small,  comfortable,  well- 
furnished  apartment,  with  seats,  and  other  conveniences, 
suitable  for  two  or  three  persons.  In  the  centre  of  the 
floor,  stood  a  small  round  table,  liberally  supplied  with 
a  great  variety  of  cold  meats,  pastry,  bread,  butter,  cheese, 
and  every  other  kind  of  eatables  that  the  neighbouring 
farm-houses  could  furnish.  But  what  the  occupant  of  the 
cave  most  earnestly  commended  to  the  attention  of  his 
guest,  was  a  large  jug,  or  rather  its  contents,  which  he 


MEMOIRS    OP     ENOCH    CROSBY.  87 

swore  was  as  fine  Madeira  as  ever  graced  the  table  of  Sir 
Harry,  or  even  his  lordship  himself. 

"Come,  my  good  fellow,  help  yourself,"  said  the  hermit, 
pushing  the  jug  to  his  new  proselyte,  after  filling  his  own 
goblet  to  the  brim.  "  Ah !  you  shall  live  like  a  fighting 
cock,  for  the  few  days  longer  that  I  have  got  to  burrow 
in  this  hole.  A  health  to  his  Majesty,  and  success  to  the 
good  cause." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  exclaimed  Crosby,  and  drained 
the  goblet. 

As  our  hero  now  appears  to  be  very  comfortably  situ 
ated,  in  a  strong  hold  with  plenty  of  provisions  for  the 
garrison,  we  will  venture  to  leave  him  there  for  a  few 
days,  while  we  revisit  the  scene  from  whence  proceeded 
those  "'sounds  of  war,"  which  gave  rise  to  the  conversa 
tion  that  ultimately  brought  about  the  present  change  in 
his  circumstances. 


88  THE  SPY  UMMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CHADERTON'S  HILL. 


-This  day  hath  made 


Much  work  for  tears  in  many  an  English  mother, 
Whose  sons  lie  scattered  on  the  bleeding  ground: 
Many  a  widow's  husband  groveling  lies 
Coldly  embracing  the  discoloured  earth. 

Shaks.  King  John. 

WE  left  the  two  hostile  armies,  in  front  of  each  other, 
at  White  Plains,  with  souls  "in  arms,  and  eager  for  the 
fray."  On  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  October  they  still 
retained  the  same  position,  sharply  watching  each  other's 
motions. 

In  the  mean  time,  a  commanding  eminence  on  the 
southwest  of  the  American  camp,  had  caught  the  attention 
of  Washington ;  who,  knowing  the  importance  of  strength 
ening  his  position,  resolved  to  reconnoitre  the  ground  im 
mediately.  He,  accordingly,  ordered  such  of  his  general 
officers  as  were  not  on  duty,  to  attend  him,  and  rode  to 
the  spot;  but,  on  examination,  found  it  not  so  suitable  for 
his  purposes  as  he  had  anticipated. 

"Yonder,"  said  Lee,  pointing  to  another  eminence  on 
the  north,  "is  the  ground  we  ought  to  occupy." 

"Let  us,  then,  go  and  view  it,"  replied  the  commander- 
in-chief;  and  away  they  posted  as  fast  as  their  mettlesome 
steeds  would  carry  them. 

They  had  not  proceeded  far,  however,  when  a  light- 
horse-man  was  seen  coming  up,  on  full  gallop,  his  steed 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  89 

almost  out  of  breath.      Hastily  saluting  the  General,  he 
exclaimed — 

"  The  British  are  on  the  camp,  sir  1" 

"Then,  gentlemen,"  said  Washington,  "we  have  other 
business  than  reconnoitring.  Follow  me !" 

So  saying,  he  put  spurs  to  his  prancing  charger,  and 
galloped  to  the  camp,  swiftly  followed  by  his  well-mounted 
Generals,  Lee,  Heath,  and  the  rest.  On  arriving  at  head 
quarters,  the  party  were  met  by  the  Adjutant  General,  the 
gallant  Read,  who  hastily  addressed  his  commander — 

"  The  guards,  sir,  have  been  all  beat  in,  and  the  whole 
army  are  now  at  their  respective  posts  in  order  of  battle." 

Washington,  on  hearing  this,  turned  coolly  to  his  offi 
cers,  and  dismissed  them  with  this  brief  order — 

"Gentlemen,  you  will  repair  to  your  respective  posts, 
and  do  the  best  you  can."(l) 

Here  they  separated  each  officer  repairing  to  his  own 
division,  which  he  found  in  the  lines,  firmly  awaiting  the 
charge,  which  had  already  commenced  on  the  right  of  the 
Americans,  by  a  column  of  Hessians,  the  forlorn  hope  of 
the  British  army.  They  were  commanded  by  General 
de  Heister  and  Colonel  Rhal,  who  directed  their  first  at- 
tack  against  the  Americans  that  were  posted  on  an  emi 
nence  called  Chaderton's  Hill,  commanded  by  General 
M'Dougall. 

The  cannonade  now  became  brisk  on  both  sides.  Sud 
denly,  the  enemy's  right  column,  consisting  of  British 
troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Leslie,  appeared 
in  the  road  leading  to  the  court-house,  in  front  of  Heath's 
division,  on  the  American  left.  This  advancing  column 
was  preceded  by  about  twenty  light-horse-men,  in  full 
gallop,  brandishing  their  swordsr  as  if  they  intended  to 
decapitate  every  Yankee  they  could  reach. 

'8* 


90  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Without  hesitation,  they  leaped  the  fence  of  a  wheatfield, 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the  brave  Malcolm's  regi 
ment  was  posted;  of  which  circumstance  the  cavaliers 
were  not  aware,  until  a  shot  from  a  field-piece  struck  in 
the  midst  of  them,  and  unhorsed  one  of  the  party  without 
ceremony. 

This  being  a  hint  that  the  gentlemen  could  not  well  mis- 
undersiand,  they  wheeled  short  about,  and  galloped  out  of 
the  field  as  fast  as  they  came  in ;  nor  did  they  slacken  their 
speed  until  a  friendly  hill  left  nothing  but  the  tips  of  their 
plumes  for  Malcolm  to  waste  his  fire  on. 

Whether  it  was  owing  to  this  circumstance,  (the  precip 
itate  flight  of  his  horse,)  or  to  previous  arrangement,  it  is 
certain  that  the  British  column  advanced  no  farther  up  the 
road,  but  suddenly  wheeled  to  the  left,  by  platoons,  as  fast 
as  they  came  up;  and  passing  through  a  bar  or  gateway, 
directed  their  head  towards  the  troops  on  Chaderton's  Hill, 
already  engaged  with  the  Hessians. 

The  appearance  of  this  column  of  well-disciplined 
troops,  the  flower  of  the  British  army,  was  truly  imposing. 
Their  brightly  polished  arms,  bristling  with  bayonets,  glit 
tering  in  the  sunbeams  with  almost  a  dazzling  lustre. — 
What  a  contrast  to  their  undisciplined  opponents,  the 
American  militia,  who,  with  rusty  muskets,  irregular  ac 
coutrements,  and  scarcely  a  bayonet  to  a  platoon,  stood 
before  them  undismayed,  and  (even  when  vanquished) 
unsubdued ! 

The  cannonade  still  continued  brisk  across  the  Bronx; 
the  Americans  firmly  retaining  their  position  on  the  hill, 
and  the  enemy  directing  all  his  energies  to  dislodge  them. 
Convinced,  at  length,  that  long  shot  would  never  effect 
the  object,  preparations  were  made  to  eome  to  closer 
quarters. 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH   CROSBY.  91 

For  this  purpose,  a  part  of  the  enemy's  left  column, 
composed  of  British  and  Hessians,  forded  the  river,  and 
marched  along,  under  cover  of  the  hill,  until  they  had 
gained  sufficient  ground  to  the  left  of  the  Americans; 
when,  by  facing  to  the  left,  their  column  became  a  line 
parallel  with  their  opponents.  In  this  order  they  ascended 
the  hill  with  a  quick  movement. 

The  fire  from  the  British  artillery  now  ceased,  of  course, 
in  order  not  to  endanger  their  own  men,  who  were  bravely 
advancing  to  charge  the  Americans  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill ;  but  the  fire  of  the  musketry  between  the  two  parties 
was  so  rapid  and  incessant,  that  it  was  impossible  to  dis 
tinguish  the  sounds. 

The  Americans  finally  gave  way  before  superior  discip 
line,  and  moved  off  the  hill  in  as  good  order  as  could  have 
been  expected.  The  British  ascended  the  hill  very  slowly, 
but  in  that  close,  compact  order  for  which  their  infantry 
are  so  justly  celebrated.  There  is  no  doubt,  however, 
that  every  man  felt  glad  when  he  had  reached  the  summit, 
where  they  formed  and  dressed  their  line,  without  evincing 
any  disposition  to  pursue  their  retreating  foe. 

The  fact  is,  both  parties  felt  perfectly  willing  to  rest 
awhile  after  the  fatigues  of  the  day.  It  is  true,  that  ob 
taining  possession  of  the  contested  eminence  gave  the 
British  great  advantage  over  their  opponents;  but,  feeling 
too  sore  to  pursue  this  advantage,  they  were  content  to  let 
things  remain  as  they  were  for  the  present. 

During  this  action,  which  ought  to  be  called  the  "Battle 
of  Chaderton's  Hill,n  several  hundreds  fell  on  both  sides. 
It  was  a  waste  of  lives  without  much  advantage  to  either 
party.  In  the  midst  of  the  engagement,  however,  the 
American  baggage  and  stores  were  moved  off  in  full  view 
of  the  British  army. (5) 


92  THE    SPY   UNMASKED;   OR 

Washington  soon  after  changed  his  front,  by  drawing 
back  the  right  and  centre  of  his  forces  to  some  hills  in  his 
rear,  and  leaving  the  left  wing  in  its  former  position;  thus 
forming  a  line  nearly  east  and  west,  fronting  his  enemy 
on  the  south.  In  this  eligible  position  he  expected  and 
desired  an  action ;  but  the  enemy  did  not  see  fit  to  make 
the  attempt.  He  afterwards  withdrew  the  whole  army  to 
the  heights  of  Northcastle,  about  five  miles  above  White 
Plains,  near  the  Connecticut  line,  where  his  position  was 
so  strong  that  Howe  found  it  necessary  to  adopt  an  entire 
new  plan  of  operations. 

In  the  mean  time,  Crosby  was  enjoying  ease  and  luxury 
in  the  "cave  of  the  mountain,"  which  was  regularly  sup 
plied  with  provisions  by  several  farmers  who  secretly  fa- 
voured  the  royal  cause.  He  found  the  Captain  to  be  a 
good-humoured  jovial  fellow,  somewhat  coarse  in  his 
manners,  but  not  a  disagreeable  companion.  As  he  and 
Crosby  lived  and  messed  together,  they  were,  of  course, 
on  the  most  familiar  terms  of  intimacy;  it  will,  therefore, 
be  readily  conceived,  that  the  latter  soon  made  himself 
acquainted  with  every  particular  of  the  other's  plans. 

"In  three  days,  my  lad,  we  shall  cross  the  Highlands," 
said  the  Captain,  gaily,  as  he  folded  up  a  letter  which  had 
just  been  handed  him  by  our  hero's  late  employer. 

"  In  three  days,"  repeated  the  other.  "  Let  me  see — 
that  will  be  Tuesday,  as  this  is  Saturday." 

"Yes,  this  is  Saturday,  and  to-morrow  will  be  Sunday, 
when  your  motley,  psalm-singing,  rebel  army  will  be 
chaunting  hallelujahs  through  their  noses;  that  is,  if  our 
cavalry  didn't  shave  off  those  vocal  appendages  at  White 
Plains." 

"According  to  the  letter  you  have  just  read  to  me,  it 
would  seem  that  some  of  the  royal  cavalry  have  been  even 


MEMOIRS  OP  ENOCH   CROSBY.  93 

closer  shaved  by  the  rebels  in  Heath's  division,"  returned 
Crosby,  with  a  slight  indication  of  humour  in  his  counte 
nance. 

"  By  Heaven !"  exclaimed  the  Captain,  "you  look  and 
talk  as  if  you  were  glad  of  it." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  have  been  in  their  situation,"  said 
Crosby,  drily. 

"Where?— Behind  the  hill?" 

"No — I  would  have  cleared  the  hill,  and  made  for  the 
Heath." 

"Good!  If  the  flash  of  your  musket  be  like  that  of  your 
wit,  you  will  be  an  honour  to  the  corps." 

"Wit  sometimes  wounds  a  friend." 

"Then  there  the  comparison  ends,  for  your  musket  will 
only  be  levelled  at  the  rebels.  But  come;  let's  to  business. 
Do  you  know  where  the  little  heap  of  earth  stands  which 
the  Yankees  call  Butter  Hill?"(3) 

"  Yes — at  the  north  entrance  of  the  Highlands,  opposite 
St.  Anthony's  face."(4) 

"True — and  were  that  break-neck  rock  a  real  living 
saint,  and  the  opposite  hill  composed  of  genuine  Goshen 
butter,  the  saint's  motith  would  water.  But.  %as  I  was 
saying,  on  the  western  side  of  that  mountain,  (for  so  we 
would  call  an  eminence  of  fifteen  hundred  feet  in  England,) 
is  a  lonely  barn,  belonging  to  a  good  loyalist,  and  a  very 
fine  fellow.  To  that  barn  we  must  all  go  on  Tuesday 
evening;  and,  after  taking  an  hour's  rest  in  the  hay-mow, 
pursue  our  course  to  the  royal  lines.  To-morrow,  you  and 
I  will  bid  good-bye  to  this  cursed  hole,  as  my  friend  S**** 
has  generously  offered  to  accommodate  the  whole  of  us, 
until  we  march." 

Having  nothing  to  oppose  to  this  arrangement,  Crosby 
made  no  objection ;  and  Sunday  evening  saw  the  whole 
corps  (about  thirty)  assembled  at  the  house  of  Mr.  S****. 


94  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

But  how  was  the  Committee  of  Safety  to  be  made  ac 
quainted  with  these  circumstances?  This  was  a  question 
that,  for  some  time,  baffled  the  ingenuity  of  our  hero;  as 
he  was  aware  that  he  could  not  absent  himself  a  moment 
without  exciting  suspicions.  At  length,  however,  he  hit 
upon  a  plan,  and  hastened  to  put  it  into  execution.  Taking 
the  Captain  apart,  he  thus  commenced  it* — 

"I  am  apprehensive,  sir,  that  our  being  here  altogether 
may  turn  out  to  be  bad  policy." 

"Your  reasons,  Jack,  your  reasons,"  said  the  other,  with 
a  dramatic  air.  "The  devil's  in't  if  we  are  not  retired 
enough;  there's  not  a  neighbour  within  a  mile." 

"It  is  just  such  retired  situations  that  Townsend's  Ran 
gers  are  always  searching.  They  seldom  seek  for  organi 
zed  companies  of  loyalists  in  populous  villages." 

"D n  Townsend's  Rangers!  They  are  over  the 

river." 

"That's  not  certain.  They  are  every  where  by  turns, 
and  no  where  long.  But  let  us  suppose  the  worst.  If  the 
rebels  should  discover  us,  and  surprise  us  all  together,  the 
whole  corps  is  at  once  annihilated.  But  if  we  disperse  un 
til  the  hour  of  marching,  they  can  only  pick  up  one  or  two, 
and  the  main  body  will  remain  safe." 

"D— n  me,  Jack,  but  you  shall  be  my  orderly.  Your 
advice  is  good,  and  we  will  separate  immediately.  No  one 
shall  know  where  another  sleeps,  and  that  will  prevent 
treachery.  There's  an  improvement  of  my  own,  Jack. 
Go — choose  your  own  lodgings;  and  you  need  be  at  no 
loss  in  this  bundling  country  of  yours.  But  recollect,  here 
we  all  muster  at  seven  o'clock,  on  Tuesday  evening." 

With  these  words  they  separated;  when  Crosby  lost  no 
time  in  repairing  to  the  house  of  a  man  whom  he  knew  to 
be  a  warm  friend  to  the  country,  and  desired  him  to  saddle 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH  CROSBY.  95 

his  horse  instantly,  and  carry  an  express  to  the  Committee 
of  Safety,  at  Fishkill.  The  other  complied  without  hesita 
tion  ;  and,  while  he  was  preparing  for  the  journey,  our  hero 
wrote  the  following  communication  : — 

"  To  the  Committee  of  Safety. 

"Gentlemen — 

"I  hasten  this  express  to  request  you  to  order  Captain 
Townsend's  company  of  Rangers,  to  repair  immediately  to 
the  barn,  situated  on  the  west  side  of  Butter- Hill,  and 
there  to  seciete  themselves  until  we  arrive,  which  will  be 
to-morrow  evening,  probably  about  eleven  o'clock ;  where, 
with  about  thirty  tories,  they  may  find, 

"Your  obedient  servant, 

"JonN  SMITH." 

Monday  evening,  Nov.  4,  1776. 

As  soon  as  this  express  was  despatched  to  Fishkill,  Cros 
by  repaired  to  the  house  of  his  former  employer,  where  he 
remained  until  the  hour  appointed  on  the  following  evening; 
when,  (his  messenger  having  returned  with  an  answer,)  he 
rejoined  his  company  which  was  now  assembled  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  S****.  Every  thing  being  arranged  for  their 
departure,  they  took  leave  of  their  loyal  host,  and  cautious 
ly  proceeded  across  the  country,  to  Cornwall,  where  they 
forded  Murderer's  Creek,  and  soon  reached  the  solitary  barn 
where  they  contemplated  to  rest  in  safety. 

Completely  jaded  by  their  long  and  rapid  march,  every 
one  was  eager  to  secure  a  snug  birth  in  the  hay,  in  order 
to  snatch  an  hour's  repose  before  they  resumed  their  jour 
ney.  Our  hero  nestled  down  with  the  rest,  close  to  the 
side  of  the  building;  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  he  was  the 
only  individual  awake. 


96  THE  SPY  VNMASKED;  OK 

In  about  an  hour  he  heard  some  one  cough  on  the  out 
side  the  barn.  This,  being  the  pre-concerted  signal,  was 
immediately  answered  by  Crosby,  through  an  opening  be 
tween  the  boards;  and,  in  the  next  moment,  the  building 
was  filled  with  armed  men,  headed  by  Captain  Townsend, 
accompanied  by  Colonel  Duer,  one  of  the  Committee  of 
Safety,  who  had  given  the  signal  before  mentioned. 

"Surrender!"  exclaimed  Townsend,  in  a  voice  that  star 
ted  every  drowsy  slurnberer  from  his  rustling  couch.  "Sur 
render!  or,  by  the  life  of  Washington  you  have  taken  your 
last  nap  on  this  side  the  grave !" 

No  resistance  was  attempted,  for  none  would  have  availed 
against  such  fearful  odds.  Some  gave  up  without  hesita 
tion,  while  others  endeavoured  to  conceal  themselves  in 
the  hay;  but  they  were  soon  dragged  forth,  and  mustered 
on  the  barn-floor,  where  several  of  .the  Rangers  were  sta 
tioned  with  lanterns. 

"Who   commands    this    band    of   heroes?"    demanded 
Townsend. 

"I  do,"  answered  the  Englishman,  promptly  and  proud 
ly.  "I  have  the  honour  to  bear  his  majesty's  commis 
sion,  and  demand  your  authority  for  this  arrest  and 
detention." 

"The  authority  of  the  continental  congress,  whose  com 
mission  I  have  the  honour  to  bear,"  answered  Townsend : 
"I  shall,  therefore,  trouble  you  for  such  papers  as  you  may 
have  in  your  possession:  we  pledge  ourselves,  however, 
that  nothing  of  a  private  nature  shall  be  detained." 

The  Englishman  reluctantly  complied  with  this  military 
usage,  and  at  Townsend's  request,  proceeded  to  call  his 
own  men  by  the  muster-roll.  At  the  name  of  Enoch  Cros 
by  no  answer  was  returned. 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH    CROSBY,  97 

"Search  for  him  with  your  bayonets!"  exclaimed  Town- 
send,  and  fifty  blades  were  instantly  plunged  into  as  many 
different  sections  of  the  hay-mow.  Our  hero  now  began  to 
think  it  high  time  to  show  himself,  and  ask  for  quarter. 

On  descending  to  the  floor,  the  first  person  he  recognised 
was  Colonel  Duer,  a  member  of  the  Committee,  who  had 
accompanied  the  party  for  the  express  purpose  of  affording 
Crosby  an  opportunity  to  escape;  but  this  generous  inten 
tion  was  completely  frustrated  by  the  zeal  of  Townsend, 
who  instantly  knew  the  prisoner,  and  seized  him  with  an 
arm  as  muscular  and  sinewy  as  his  own. 

"Well  met  again  old  comrade!"  exclaimed  the  Ranger, 
with  a  smile  of  triumph.  "You  showed  us  a  light  pair  of 
heels  at  Fishkill ;  but  if  I  do  not  see  them  made  sufficiently 
heavy  this  time,  may  I  never  be  a  Major." 

"Who  is  he?"  inquired  Duer,  affecting  ignorance  of  the 
prisoner's  person. 

"Enoch,  the  patriarch,"  returned  Townsend,  smiling  at 
his  own  conceit.  "He  who  disappeared  from  the  church 
in  Fishkill,  almost  as  mysteriously  as  his  ancient  namesake 
is  said  to  have  done  from  the  earth." 

"It  is  true,  he  did  play  us  a  slippery  trick,"  observed 
Duer,  who  thought  it  necessary  to  say  something.  "But 
we  cannot  blame  the  poor  fellow  for  consulting  his  own 
safety." 

"Poor!"  echoed  Townsend.  "If  he  be  poor,  John  Bull 
must  pay  him  ill." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  Lieutenant,  who  felt  his  own 
honour  a  little  piqued  at  Crosby's  former  escape :  "King 
George  owes  him  a  dukedom." 

"And  Congress  a  halter,"  added  the  Captain,  as  he  re 
signed  the  silent  subject  of  these  sarcasms  to  two  men,  who 

9 


98  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

soon  shackled  his  limbs  in  such  a  manner  as  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  his  again  giving  them  the  slip. 

As  soon  as  the  prisoners  were  all  secured,  the  party  were 
ready  to  march;  and,  "to  shorten  a  long  story,"  as 
Crosby  quaintly  expressed  it,  not  many  hours  elapsed, 
before  he  found  himself  in  full  view  of  the  stone  church 
atFishkill. 

But  Crosby,  it  appears,  had  forfeited  the  protection  of 
the  church;  for  while  the  other  prisoners  were  conducted 
into  that  friendly  asylum,  he  was  compelled  to  march  a 
mile  further,  to  a  farm  house  on  the  east  side  of  the  plain, 
which  lies  in  front  of  the  village. 

Here  he  was  permitted  to  halt ;  and  soon  discovered  that 
it  was  not  only  the  temporary  head-quarters  of  Captain 
Townsend,  but  the  permanent  residence  of  Mr.  Jay,  chair 
man  of  the  Committee  of  Safety.  This  circumstance, 
however,  was  not  likely  to  operate  in  his  favour,  asJTown- 
send  immediately  adopted  such  prompt  measures  to  prevent 
the  escape  of  his  prisoner,  as  evinced  the  deep  interest  that 
officer  felt  in  his  detention.  Crosby  was  placed  in  a  room 
by  himself,  and  a  guard  detailed  for  his  security,  comprising 
some  of  the  most  vigilant  members  of  the  corps. 

AU  men  must  eat  at  times,  and  Captain  Townsend  had 
fasted  for  the  last  twelve  hours.  Under  such  circumstan 
ces,  it  is  not  surprising  that  he  awaited  the  preparations 
for  supper  with  no  little  degree  of  impatience.  This  feel 
ing,  however,  was  frequently  beguiled  and  diverted  by  the 
frank,  free,  and  insinuating  address  of  a  rosy -cheeked  lass, 
who,  on  this  occasion,  officiated  incapacity  of  house-maid. 
The  Captain  was  no  anchorite,  and  the  maid  appeared  to 
be  scrupulously  attentive  to  his  most  trifling  wants;  until 
he  became  so  completely  absorbed  with  love,  wine,  and 
broiled  chickens,  that  he  forgot  there  was  such  a  man  as 
Enoch  Crosby  in  the  world. 


MEMOIRS    OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  99 

But  Miss  Charity  was  too  liberal  in  her  opinions  of  right 
and  wrong  to 

"Feast  the  rich,  and  let  tilt  humble  starve." 

She  very  considerately  reflected  that  the  sentinel  at  Cros 
by's  door,  might  probably  be  as  sharp  set  as  his  Captain ; 
and,  under  this  impression,  without  consulting  the  supe 
rior,  prepared  him  another  chicken,  which  she  accompa 
nied  with  a  bottle  of  Jay's  best  old  French"  brandy.  How 
the  Ranger  relished  the  joke  was  never  accurately  ascer 
tained;  but  one  thing  is  certain,  that,  owing  either  to  the 
quality  or  quantity  of  the  liquor,  he  actually  fell  asleep  on 
his  post. 

About  midnight,  our  hero  was  aroused  from  an  unquiet 
slumber,  by  a  gentle  shake  of  the  shoulder.  On  opening 
his  eyes,  he  beheld  the  figure  of  a  female  bending  over  him, 
with  a  dark  lantern  in  her  hand. 

"Follow  me,  without  speaking,"  said  she  in  a  whisper; 
"and  hold  fast  by  them  ugly  things,  that  they  don't  make  a 
noise." 

Crosby  instinctively  obeyed  in  silence,  and  followed  his 
fair  conductor  from  the  apartment.  For  a  moment  he 
paused  to  gaze  at  the  snoring  sentinel,  while-  Charity  care 
fully  closed  and  locked  the  door.  She  then  led  the  -way 
through  a  small  garden,  in  the  rear  of  the  house,  and, 
pointing  to  the  West  Mountain,  against  the  side  of  which 
the  moon  was  pouring  a  stream  of  mellow  radiance,  she 
bid  him  haste  to  seek  a  shelter  amidst  its  almost  impene 
trable  fastnesses. 

"But  how  have  you  effected  this?"  asked  the  bewildered 
and  astonished  prisoner;  "and  what  will  be  the  result  to 
yourself,  and  that  careless  sentineT' 


100  THE   SPY    UNMASKED,'   OR 

"Fear  nothing,  for  either,"  hastily  replied  the  girl ;  "but 
hasten  to  the  mountains.  I  shall  instantly  return  the  key 
to  Townsend's  pocket,  who  is  himself  snoring  on  the  sofa. 
Dr.  Miller's  opiates  are  wonderfully  powerful  when  mixed 
with  brandy.  Now,  fly  for  your  life !  The  sentinel  shall 
be  on  his  feet  when  the  relief  conies.  You  have  not  a  mo 
ment  to  lose.  I  shall  be  at  Hopewell  by  the  time  the  alarm 
is  given.  Not  another  word — I  want  no  thanks-^Jay  is 
your  protector — Fly!" 

With  these  words  she  disappeared  in  the  house. 

The  heavy  shackles  with  which  our  hero's  limbs  wer* 
encumbered,  allowed  him  to  move  but  slowly.  The  coast 
was  perfectly  clear,  however,  and  the  moon  illumined  the 
whole  of  the  plain  before  him.  No  obstacle  appeared  to 
oppose  his  progress  to  the  mountain,  which,  rising  like  a 
huge  pyramid,  seemed  to  invite  his  approach.  He  advan 
ced  with  confidence,  but  with  tardiness  and  fatigue,  until 
he  reached  a  little  thicket  on  the  left,  where  he  determined 
to  stop,  and,  if  possible,  free  himself  from  his  fetters.  This 
object  being  effected,  after  much  exertion,  he  bounded  for 
ward  with  a  heart  as  much  lightened  as  his  heels,  until  he 
found  himself  beyond  the  possibility  of  pursuit,  among  the 
intricate  passes  of  that  gigantic  eminence. 

On  the  following  morning  Townserid  found  himself  re 
freshed,  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and  a  trusty  sentinel  before 
the  door  of  his  prisoner's  apartment.  There  was  no  other 
outlet  to  the  room  except  a  window,  closed  with  a  strong 
shutter,  and  guarded  by  another  sentinel  on  the  outside. 
No  alarm  or  noise  had  been  heard  by  any  one  during 
the  night,  and  what  doubt  could  there  be  of  the  prisoner's 
safety? 

But  words  are  inadequate  to  a  description  of  Townsend'^ 
feelings,  when,  on  taking  th  •  key  from  his  pocket,  and  un~ 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CH03BV.  101 

locking  the  door,  the  apartment  was  found  evacuated  and 
without  a  tenant.  The  guard  were  all  summoned,  but 
every  one  protested  his  ignorance  and  innocence  of  the 
prisoner's  escape,-  and  all  united  in  expressing  their  sur 
prise  that  a  man  in  irons  could  creep  up  the  chimney. 
But  there  was  no  other  alternative;  if  he  did  not  escape 
that  way,  which  way  could  he  have  made  his  egress  from 
the.  apartment? 

Captain  Townsend  could  not  forgive  this  second  decep 
tion.  He  felt  that  his  honour,  as  an  officer,  was  implicated ; 
and  inwardly  swore  that  if  Enoch  Crosby  became  his  pris 
oner  again,  a  very  summary  process  should  put  an  end  to 
his  career.(5) 

9* 


102  THE  SPY    UNMASKED  •    OR 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    SECRET    PASS. 

We  must  find 

An  evident  calamity,  though  we  had 
Our  wish,  which  side  should  win:  for  either  thou 
Must,  as  a  foreign  recreant,  be  led 
With  manacles  through  our  streets,  or  else 
Triumphantly  tread  on  thy  country's  ruin. 

Shaks.  Corio!anus.. 

As  soon  as  our  hero  considered  it  prudent  to  leave  his 
place  of  concealment  in  the  West  Mountain,  which  was 
riot  until  the  following  night,  he  cautiously  descended  in  a 
southern  direction ;  and  being,  by  this  time,  well  acquain 
ted  with  every  pass  through  the  Highlands,  knowing  where 
the  ravines  might  be  penetrated,  and  where  the  streams 
were  fordable,  he  proceeded  with  silent  celerity,  and  in 
creasing  confidence.  For  several  hours  he  pursued  his 
course  without  interruption,  carefully  avoiding  such  spots 
as  he  knew  to  be  inhabited ;  sometimes  plunging  into  thick 
ets,  at  others  finding  it  necessary  to  ascend  hills  that  ap 
peared  to  be  almost  inaccessible. 

About  sunrise,  he  ventured  to  descend  into  the  highway, 
where  he  continued  to  travel  until  fatigue  and  hunger  com 
pelled  him  to  seek  for  a  habitation  where  he  might  safely 
apply  for  refreshment. 

At  this  juncture,  he  found  himself  within  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  of  a  farm-house,  the  owner  of  which  he  knew  to 
be  a  tory,  and  would  doubtless  supply  his  immediate  wants. 
He  directed  his  steps  accordingly,  and  soon  received  a 
cheerful  welcome  from  the  mistress  of  the  f  imilyr  her 


MEMOIRS   OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  103 

husband  being  absent  from  home.  He  told  his  story,  or 
as  much  of  it  as  was  proper  to  be  related,  and  his  loyal 
hostess  could  not  find  language  to  express  her  commissera- 
tion  of  his  suffering,  and  her  indignity  at  the  wrongs  he 
had  received  at  the  hands  of  the  abominable  rebels !  In 
short,  she  treated  him  like  a  son;  and  insisted  upon  his 
making  her  house  his  home,  for  as  long  a  time  as  he 
thought  it  prudent  to  remain.  On  his  departure,  she 
loaded  him  with  provisions  and  clothes,  with  a  capacious 
new  pack  to  contain  them. 

Being  well  aware  that  patrols  were  scouring  the  country 
in  every  direction,  who,  if  they  recognized  him,  would  be 
sure  to  retake  him,  he  felt  the  necessity  of  being  very  cau 
tious  in  his  movements.  It  is  true,  that  he  might  meet  a 
cordial  welcome  from  those  who  secretly  favoured  the 
British  cause:  but  at  a  period  when  so  many  were  induced 
by  circumstances  to  disguise  their  real  sentiments,  it  was 
difficult  to  discriminate  between  friends  and  foes.  Every 
whig  would  have  thought  it  a  duty  he  owed  his  country 
to  deliver  up  the  fugitive  to  the  vengeance  of  her  violated 
laws;  while  many,  who  felt  interested  in  his  safety,  were 
deterred  from  affording  him  protection  by  a  prudent  regard 
for  their  own. 

Under  such  circumstances,  our  hero  soon  found  himself 
placed  in  a  very  unpleasant  dilemma;  while  every  suc 
ceeding  day  seemed  to  increase  the  gloom  which,  like  a 
portentous  cloud,  hung  over  his  untoward  destiny.  Hunted 
like  a  beast  of  the  forest  by  one  party — suspected  and 
avoided  by  the  other — he  felt  himself,  at  times,  an  outcast 
in  the  world — a  houseless  wanderer,  without  a  country  or 
a  home  1(1)  While  looking  at  this  side  of  the  picture,  it 
exhibited  a  cheerless,  dreary  scene  of  desolation,  at  the 
Contemplation  of  which  his  heart  sickened  within  him. 


104  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  on 

But  when  he  recollected  the  object  for  which  he  had  volun 
tarily  submitted  to  this  living  martyrdom— when  he  re 
viewed  the  motive  of  the  sacrifice— a  ray  of  peaceful  tran- 
quility,  emanating  from  a  self-approving  conscience,  stole 
over  his  mind,  which  he  would  not  have  exchanged  for  the 
crown  and  sceptre  of  England. 

It  was  near  the  close  of  a  toilsome  day^s  wandering,  in 
the  cheerless  month  of  November,  that  he  called  at  an 
indifferent  looking  farm-house,  and  requested  to  be  accom 
modated  for  the  night.  This  request  was  cheerfully 
granted;  and,. throwing  off  his  pack,  he  sat  down,  with  a 
thankful  heart,  to  rest  from  the  fatigues  of  the  day. 

He  had  not  remained  in  this  situation  long,  when  two 
large  men,  armed  with  muskets,  entered  the  apartment. 
One  of  them  started  on  seeing  our  traveller;  and  in  a  low 
voice,  said  something  to  his  companion,,  to  which  the  other 
apparently  assented. 

Crosby  remained  silent,  watching  the  movements  of 
these  men  with  the  deepest  interest,  as  he  suspected 
them  to  be  volunteer  scouts,  numbers  of  which  were  con 
stantly  on  the  look-out  for  such  persons  as  were  suspected 
of  toryism. 

In  a  short  time  they  advanced  to  our  hero,  and,  after 
surveying  him  attentively,  one  of  them  accosted  him — 

"I  think,  sir,  that  I  have  seen  your  face  before." 

"Very  possibly,  sir,"  returned  Crosby,  coolly;  "though 
I  cannot  say  that  I  have  the  pleasure  of  recollecting 
yours." 

"  Probably  not.  But  if  I  mistake  not,  I  saw  you  con'- 
ducted  to  Fishkill  prison,  a  short  time  since,  in  company 
of  a  number  of  tories,  arrested  by  Townsend's  Rangers." 

"O,  yes,  it  is  he,"  exclaimed  the  other;  "I  could  swear 
to  him  among  a  thousand." 


MEMOIRS    OF   ENOCH    CROSBY.  105 

"  So,  you  have  made  your  escape,  sir,  it  seems,"  con 
tinued  the  first  speaker.  "  But  under  our  escort,  you  will 
not  find  it  so  easily  done  again.  To-morrow  morning  you 
shall  accompany  us  to  Heath's  head-quarters;  and,  if  the 
provost-marshal  does  his  duty,  your  plots  and  escapes  will 
soon  be  terminated.  The  Committee  of  Safety  will  not 
take  the  trouble. of  trying  you  again." 

"  It  is  a  serious  subject  for  jesting,"  observed  Crosby, 
throwing  an  unquiet  eye  around,  as  if  in  search  of  some 
avenue  for  escape. 

"  You  will  find  it  no  jest,"  returned  the  other.  "  Jay 
and  Duer  are  determined  to  make  an  example  of  you.  A 
tory  they  can  pardon  and  pity.  But  a  traitor,  who,  after 
bearing  arms  in  the  good  cause,  basely  turns  those  arms 
against  his  countrymen,  has  forfeited  all  claims  to  protec 
tion.  Mercy  to  such  a  wretch  would  be  cruelty  to  our 
country  "(2) 

"And  think  you  that  Jay  would  pronounce  me  a  trai 
tor  ?"(3)  asked  Crosby  with  some  earnestness. 

"How  could  he  do  otherwise?"  returned  the  other. 
"What  have  you  to  urge  in  your  own  defence?" 

Notwithstanding  his  reliance  on  the  secret  protection 
of  the  Committee,  our  hero  felt  a  strong  repugnance  to 
become  a  prisoner  again  so  soon;  especially,  as  the  exas 
perated  Rangers,  (at  a  time  when  the  civil  law  was  but 
little  regarded  by  the  soldiery,)  might  feel  themselves 
justified  in  inflicting  a  summary  punishment,  without  the 
ceremony  of  a  trial.  Weakened  arid  fatigued  as  he  was 
by  toilsome  marches,  he  could  not  contend  against  such 
odds  with  any  hope  of  success.  Having  weighed  all  these 
circumstances  in  his  rnind,  he  concluded  that  he  would  be 
justified  in  appealing  to  the  last  resort;  his  present  situa 
tion  being  one  of  extremity.  He,  therefore,  drew  a  small 


106  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

folded  paper  from  a  secret  place  within  the  lining  of  his 
vest,  and  presented  it  to  his  interrogator. 

"Read  that,  sir,"  said  he,  proudly,  "and  learn  how 
easy  a  thing  it  is  to  mistake  a  man's  real  character;  and 
how  prone  we  are  to  suspect  the  innocent." 

The  two  strangers  perused  the  paper  in  silent  astonish 
ment;  and,  for  a  moment,  appeared  unwilling  to  credit  their 
own  senses.  At  length,  however,  he  who  appeared  to  be 
the  principal,  returned  the  paper,  saying, 

"  1  am  satisfied,  sir,  that  we  have  been  mistaken  in  your 
real  character,  for  those  signatures  I  know  to  be  genuine; 
and  the  writers  certify  that  you  are  actually  engaged  in  the 
service  of  your  country.  But  how  is  the  mystery  to  be 
explained?  Why  were  you  imprisoned  by  the  orders  of 
these  very  men  ?" 

"  Ask  me  no  further  questions,  if  you  please,"  replied 
Crosby,  as  he  returned  the  pass  to  its  secret  depository. 
"  Be  content  to  believe  me  a  true  whig,  and  in  the  service 
of  my  country.  But,  above  all,  I  most  earnestly  request 
you  as  you  wish  well  to  the  cause,  never  to  disclose  what 
you  have  now  learned  to  any  human  being." 

So  saying,  he  re-shouldered  his  pack;  and,  after  eva 
sively  answering  the  numerous  questions  with  which  they 
assailed  him,  he  bade  both  a  hasty  "good  evening,"  and 
left  them  to  wonder  at  the  strangeness  of  the  adventure. 
He  now  felt  convinced  that  it  would  not  be  prudent  to 
remain  there  for  the  night,  as  he  had  at  first  intended ; 
and  being  somewhat  refreshed  by  the  short  respite  he  had 
enjoyed,  he  travelled  onward,  in  search  of  a  more  eligible 
asylum. 

After  proceeding  more  than  two  miles  farther,  he  ven 
tured  to  apply  at  another  cottage,  and  renew  his  request 
for  accommodation;  which,  after  much  solicitation  on  his 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CBOSBY.  107 

part,  was,  at  length,  reluctantly  complied  with  by  the 
woman  of  the  house.  Here  again  he  disencumbered  him 
self  of  his  pack,  and  sat  down,  much  fatigued  with  his 
prolonged  journey. 

While  inwardly  congratulating  himself  on  the  happy 
termination  of  that  day's  labours,  arid  fondly  anticipating  a 
comfortable  night's  rest,  his  attention  was  caught  by  the 
particular  and  suspicious  manner  with  which  he  found  him 
self  regarded  by  a  man  who  had  just  entered,  and  taken 
a  seat  by  the  fire.  Crosby  felt  confident  that  he  had  some 
where  seen  him  before;  but  could  not  recall  to  mind  the 
place  or  circumstances;  and  began  to  feel  somewhat 
alarmed  at  the  closeness  of  his  scrutiny.  At  length, 
Crosby  spoke — 

"Somewhat  cool,  this  evening,  sir." 

Without  noticing  this  sagacious  remark,  the  other  started 
on  his  feet,  and  exclaimed,  with  a  bitterness  of  tone  that 
well  corresponded  with  the  ghastliness  of  the  grin  that 
accompanied  it. 

"Now  I  know  you!  I  thought  I  could  not  be  mistaken. 

You  are  the  very  d d  rascal   that  betrayed  us  to  the 

rebel  Committee,  and  caused  our  company  to  be  taken  and 
confined  in  jail.  Now  sir,  if  you  don't  make  yourself 
scarce  pretty  d d  quick,  I  will  call  one  of  my  neigh 
bours,  who  swears  that,  if  ever  he  can  lay  eyes  on  you 
again,  he  will  take  every  drop  of  your  heart's  blood !" 

Crosby  made  several  efforts  to  reply,  during  the  delivery 
of  this  philippic ;  but  the  other  refused  to  hear  a  word  he 
had  to  say,  and  thus  continued — 

"  You  shall  leave  this  house  immediately  sir;  but  not  till 
I  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  pounding  you !" 

"  Come  on,  sir,"  said  our  hero  rising  coolly  from  his 
seat,  and  elevating  himself  to  the  full  height  of  his  manly 


108  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

statures  while  that  of  his  antagonist  appeared  to  dwindle 
in  the  same  proportion.  u  Come  on,  sir!"  repeated  he, 
deliberately  rolling  up  his  sleeves,  and  displaying  a  pair  of 
muscular  arms  and  bony  fists  of  the  most  formidable  di 
mensions.  "  Come  on — I  am  ready  to  try  you  a  pull." 

But,  from  some  cause  or  other,  the  host  had  suddenly 
changed  his  mind,  and  appeared  a  little  more  inclined  to 
the  side  of  mercy  ;  for,  in  a  less  elevated  tone,  he  replied, 
!'  "  I  believe  I  will  let  you  off  this  time,  if  you  will  leave 
my  house  immediately,  and  never  set  your  foot  in  it 
again.1" 

Tired  and  jaded  as  he  was,  Crosby  thought  it  best  to 
comply ;  and  travelled  another  mile  before  he  succeeded  in 
procuring  lodgings  for  the  night;  but  there  he  learned  a 
fact  which  induced  him  to  change  his  plans  immediately. 

He  had  long  been  anxious  to  obtain  a  private  interview 
with  the  Committee;  but  dared  not  venture  to  Fishkill, 
while  Townsend  remained  in  the  village  with  his  vigilant 
Rangers.  He  now  ascertained,  however,  that  the  corps 
was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,(4)  and  resolved  to  profit 
by  the  circumstance  on  the  following  morning.  This  de 
termination  he  put  in  execution,  and  arrived  at  Duer's 
residence  on  the  succeeding  evening,  without  interruption 
or  molestation. 

After  a  long  consultation,  that  gentleman  advised  him 
to  repair  privately  to  a  retired  residence,  on  Wappinger's 
Creek;  the  farm-house  of  an  honest  old  Dutchman,  and 
there  work  at  his  trade  for  the  family,  and  keep  himself 
concealed  from  observation,  until  further  orders. 

Being  furnished  with  a  complete  set  of  tools  for  the  pur 
pose,  he  shouldered  his  pack,  and  proceeded  to  the  desig 
nated  place ;  where  he  soon  found  himself  very  comfort 
ably  situated,  in  the  family  of  the  friendly  old  Dutchman, 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  109 

who  had  feet  enough  in  his  family  to  keep  the  shoemaker 
in  constant  employment.  [t  is  true,  a  large  majority  of 
them  were  the  property  of  females;  but  Crosby  soon  found, 
by  actual  admeasurement,  that  the  understanding  of  a 
plump,  round  face,  rosy-cheeked,  country  Dutch  lass,  is 
not  such  a  trifling  appendage,  as  the  same  article  appears 
to  be  among  our  modern  city  belles;  for,  at  the  period  of 
which  we  are  writing,  the  doctrine  of  Dr.  Sitgreaves  most 
generally  prevailed,  that  "the  wider  the  base,  the  more 
firm  is  the  superstructure." 

In  this  tranquil  asylum  he  had  continued  but  two  day?, 
when  a  letter  from  Duer,  desiring  his  immediate  attendance 
on  the  committee,  at  Fishkiil,  was  handed  him  on  his  seat, 
by  a  messenger  sent  express  for  that  purpose. 

The  good  old  Dutchman,  as  well  as  every  member  of 
his  family,  evinced  much  curiosity  to  know  the  purport  of 
this  communication;  which  they  knew,  by  some  expres 
sions  that  had  fallen  from  the  messenger,  must  have  come 
from  high  authority.;  and  our  hero  immediately  rose,  in 
their  estimation,  at  least  one  hundred  per  cent.  Could  he 
have  conversed  with  Mynheer,  in  the  mother-tongue  of  the 
latter,  there  is  little  doubt  that  he  might  now  have  "  taken 
his  pick"  among  the  daughters,  with  a  good  farm  into  the 
bargain. 

"Auch!"  exclaimed  the  Dutchman,  knocking  the  ashes 
from  his  pipe;  "You  know  tee  shentlemen  of  tee  army? 
Vat  for  tey  rite  you  ?" 

"I  suppose  they  want  shoes  for  the  soldiers,"  replied 
Crosby,  rising  from  his  seat,  and  taking  off  his  leather 
apron,  which  he  carefully  spread  over  his  unfinished  work 
and  tools.  "  I  understand  that  the  poor  fellows  are  all 
barefoot,  and  there's  a  cold  winter  at  hand.  At  all  events, 
10 


110  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

I  must  go  and  see;  but  will  probably  return  time  enough 
to  finish  Catrine's  shoes  for  Sunday." 

"  Now  don't  you  disappoint  me,"  cried  the  smiling  girl, 
with  sparkling  eyes,  and  one  of  her  sweet  insinuating 
tones.  "If  you  do,  you'll  be  sorry." 

"Tevil  take  tee  shoes!"  exclaimed  the  father,  filling 
his  pipe  again.  "  Vy  you  hotter  tee  shentlemen  mit 
shoes,  ven  he  got  bishness  mit  tee  army?  You  know 
Gitty  ish  shick  pon  tee  ped,  and  vont  vant  hern  till  Christ 
mas.  But,  dunder  and  blixem,  man !  You  vont  trudge  to 
Vishkill  mit  Shank's  mare.  Here,  you  Hauns!  Puckle 
tee  pest  shaddle  on  Valdecker,  and  pring  him  to  tee  horse- 
plock,  tirectly — you  hear !" 

Crosby  was  not  very  strenuous  in  declining  this  polite 
arrangement  of  his  friendly  host;  but  was  soon  mounted, 
and  waving  a  farewell  to  the  whole  group,  who  had  assem 
bled  in  the  yard  to  witness  his  departure,  he  struck  his 
pony  into  a  gallop,  and  was  soon  out  of  sight.  y 

On  reaching  Fishkill,  he  immediately  waited  on  Duer, 
to  learn  the  pleasure  of  the  committee;  who  reminded  him 
that  it  would  be  extremely  unsafe  for  him  to  remain  in  that 
place  long  enough  for  the  committee  to  hold  a  consultation ; 
he  therefore  directed  him  to  leave  the  village  as  secretly 
as  he  entered  it,  and  travel  about  three  miles,  in  a  north 
east  direction,  to  a  place  called  Hopewell;  there  to  inquire 
for  Dr.  Miller,  who  kept  a  small  retail  druggist  shop,  where 
one  of  the  committee  would  meet  him  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon.  j 

In  compliance  with  these  instructions,  Crosby  again 
mounted  his  Dutch  pony,  and  soon  found  the  residence  of 
the  doctor,  who  happened  to  be  absent  from  home,  and 
not  expected  back  until  evening.  -,  f 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH    CROSBY.  Ill 

This  information  was  communicated  by  a  sprightly 
smiling  female,  whose  voice  and  figure  struck  Crosby  as 
not  being  entirely  new  to  him;  while  some  marked  pe 
culiarity  in  her  manner  of  addressing  him,  evinced,  on  her 
part,  a  reciprocal  recognition.  But  it  was  in  vain  that  he 
tasked  his  recollection  to  elucidate  the  mystery;  until, 
with  an  arch  smile,  and  an  emphasis  of  much  meaning, 
she  said — 

"If  you  wish  any  article  from  the  shop,  sir,  1  think  I 
can  wait  upon  you  to  your  satisfaction.  Doctor  Miller's 
opiates,  you  recollect,  are  wonderfully  powerful  when 
mixed  with  brandy.  They  have  been  known  to  put  even 
the  vigilant  Rangers  to  sleep." 

"Is  it  possible!"  exclaimed  Crosby.  "Are  you  then 
the " 

"  Hush !  Not  a  word  on  that  subject,  for  your  life  1" 
returned  the  damsel,  in  a  low  voice.  "  Those  men  by  the 
fire  are  not  Rangers;  but  it  might  not  be  safe  to  expose 
your  real  name  in  their  hearing."  She  then  added  aloud, 
"  You  had  better  take  a  seat  by  the  fire,  Mr.  Brown ;  as 
the  Doctor  will  not  be  home  until  dark." 

Several  of  the  neighbours  were,  as  usual,  collected 
round  the  fire,  at  one  end  of  the  shop,  discussing  the  news 
and  politics  of  the  day.  Crosby  ventured  to  mingle  with 
the  group;  and  not  being  personally  known  to  either,  had 
the  satisfaction  -to  hear  his  own  adventures  related,  and 
descanted  on,  with  all  those  embellishments,  variations,  and 
exaggerations,  that  ever  accompany  the  verbal  disposal  of 
retailed  wonders. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt,"  observed  one,  "  that  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  obtained  that  information  from  Crosby. 

How  else  could  Knyphausen,  and  his  d d  Hessians 

have  known  the  way  to  Spiten-devil  Creek  ?(5) 


112  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

"Aye,  and  how  the  d 1,  without  the  assistance  of 

some  spy,  could  the  regulars  have  known  on  which  side 
to  attack  the  post  on  Laurel-Hill  ?"(6)  demanded  another, 
looking  round  him  with  an  expression  of  triumph  that 
challenged  contradiction.  "  The  Dutchman's  left  column, 
you  know,  bore  all  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  and  were  pretty 
decently  peppered." 

"Well,  well,"  said  a  third,  with  a  self-complacent  smile, 
and  a  knowing  toss  of  the  head ;  "  Every  dog  has  his  day. 
But  if  Townsend  ever  gets  the  traitor  in  his  clutches 
again,  he  will  soon  dangle  in  the  air,  without  judge  or 
jury." 

"  What  sort  of  a  fellow  is  this  Crosby?"  asked  our  hero, 
addressing  the  last  speaker.  "  Have  you  ever  seen  him?'" 

"O  yes,  I  saw  him  at  Fishkill.  He  is  a  little  slender 
artful  looking  fellow,  of  about  five  feet  three.  There's  no 
confining  him;  for  he'll  creep  out  of  a  knot  hole;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  that  all  our  late  disasters  may  be  attributed 
to  his  secret  intercourse  with  the  enemy." 

"  It  is  shrewdly  suspected,"  said  Crosby,  drily,  "that 
this  fellow  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  affair  at  Kipp's  Bay." 

"  Very  probably,"  said  the  other,  forgetting  the  nature 
of  that  affair  ;(7)  wherever  there  is  a  tory  plot,  you  may 
swear  that  Crosby  is  head -devil  in  the  business." 

"  Whether  at  the  head  or  tail,"  observed  a  third,  "his 
intrigues  have  given  an  unfortunate  turn  to  our  affairs. 
Fort  Washington  and  Fort  Lee,  are  both  in  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.(8)  The  American  army  is  retreating  through  the 
Jerseys,  and  Howe  is  close  upon  their  heels." 

"But  did'nt  Gooch  do  the  neat  thing?"  exclaimed  the 
first  speaker. 

"  Gooch !  Who  the  d 1  is  he?"  asked  his  friend. 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH  CROSBY.  1  DJ 

uWho  is  he!  A  full-blooded  Yankee  from  Boston,  and  a 
captain  in  Heath's  division.  During  the  attack  on  Fort 
Washington,  which  was  bravely  defended  by  Colonel 
Magaw,  the  commander-in-chief,  who  was  across  the 
river,  on  the  high  bank  at  Fort  Lee,  was  a  spectator  of  the 
whole  affair.  He  wished  to  send  a  message  across  to 
Magaw,  and  Gooch  offered  to  be  the  bearer  of  it.  He 
ran  down  to  the  river — jumped  into  a  small  boat — pushed 
over  in  style — landed  under  the  bank — ran  up  to  the  fort, 
and  delivered  the  message — came  out — ran  and  jumped 
over  the  broken  ground — dodged  the  Hessians,  some  of 
whom  struck  at  him  with  their  pieces,  while  others  at 
tempted  to  thrust  him  with  their  bayonets.  But  he 
escaped  through  the  whole — got  into  his  boat,  and  returned 
to  Fort  Lee. (9) 

"Was  that  message  a  recommendation  to  surrender?" 
asked  Crosby. 

"So  it  is  presumed,"  replied  the  other.  "Magaw  had 
been  summoned  to  surrender;  but  requested  that  he 
might  be  allowed  to  consider  until  nine  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  before  he  gave  a  decisive  answer.  Only  two 
hours  were  granted,  and  Magaw  replied  that  he  would 
defend  the  fort  to  the  last  moment.  After  receiving  Wash 
ington's  message,  however,  the  fort  was  surrendered:  and 
it  would  have  been  a  useless  waste  of  lives  to  hold  out  any 
longer." 

"Was  our  loss  great?"  asked  Crosby. 

"Not  in  killed  and  wounded;"  returned  the  other;  "but 
the  loss  in  prisoners  was  a  serious  blow  indeed.  It  is  said 
they  were  marched  to  the  city,  and  crowded  into  piisons 
and  sugar-houses,  where  they  are  now  dying  off  by  dozens; 
so  that  probably  very  few  of  the  poor  fellows  will  ever  get 
home  again." 

10* 


114  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OK 

At  this  stage  of  the  conversation,  a  gentleman  entered 
the  shop;  and,  without  noticing  the  speakers,  advanced 
to  the  counter,  and  ordered  a  phial  of  medicine.  In  this 
new  comer,  our  hero  instantly  recognized  the  person  of 
Jay,  who  had  ridden  from  Fishkill  on  an  elegant  horse, 
which  was  standing  at  the  door.  While  the  shopman  was 
waiting  upon  his  customer,  Crosby  slipped  out,  and  pre 
tended  to  be  admiring  the  noble  animal,  until  his  owner 
approached  to  remount.  Our  hero  politely  held  the  stir 
rup,  while  Jay  seized  that  opportunity  to  whisper  in  his 


"It  will  not  do;  there  are  too  many  observers  in  thi& 
place.  Return  to  the  Dutchman's,  and  there  wait  for 
further  orders." 

He  then  mounted;  and  was  soon  out  of  sight,  on  the 
road  to  Fishkill. 

On  re-entering  the  shop,  which  he  did  without  being  per 
ceived,  Crosby  discovered  that  his  own  person  had^  been 
the  subject  of  remark,  by  the  loungers  present. 

"His  conversation  and  manners  bespeak  the  gentleman," 
observed  the  principal  speaker.  "  I  wonder  who  he  isy 
and  what  his  business  can  be  with  Dr.  Miller?*" 

"  He  appears  to  be  acquainted  with  Jay,"  said  another; 
"  for  I  saw  them  whispering  together  at  the  horseblock.'7 

On  overhearing  these  remarks,  Crosby  began  to  feel 
apprehensive,  that  if  he  remakied  much  longer,  these  vil 
lage  politicians  might  become  more  inquisitive  than  he 
could  wish.  He  therefore  told  the  shopman  that  he  would 
call  in  the  evening;  then  mounted  his  horsey  and  soon 
found  himself  on  the  banks  of  Wappinger. 

His  host  met  him  in  the  yard,  in  front  of  the  cottage, 
with  his  inseparable  companion,  the  pipe,  in  his  mouth. 

"Veil,  ten,  sho  you  cot  pack,"  said  he,  puffing  a  huge 
volume  of  curling  vapour  from  his  mouth. 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH   CROSBY.  115 

"O  yes,"  replied  Crosby,  dismounting.  "There  is  no 
difficulty  in  getting  back,  on  such  a  horse  as  yours,  when 
his  head  is  once  turned  towards  home/' 

"O  yaw,  Valdecker  vill  ride  any  potty  right  to  mine 
house.  Here,  Haunse!  Take  off  tee  shaddle,  ant  rup  him 
town  mit  a  visp  of  shtrawj  ant,  to  ye  hear,  Haunse!  tont 
let  him  trink  till  he  coutchM  coold." 

"O  there  is  no  danger,"  returned  Crosby ;  "I  have  not 
rode  him  hard.  But  how  are  the  girls,  and  poor  Gitty  ?" 

"Veil,  she  complains  as  she  is  leetle  petter;  put  she 
stood  up,  ven  tinner  vosh  ready,  pon  tee  ped,  and  ate  pred, 
mit  putter  py  it." 

By  this  time  they  had  entered  the  house,  where  Crosby 
was  met  by  the  smiling  Catreen,  who  kindly  welcomed 
him  back,  and  again  reminded  him  of  her  Sunday  shoes. 
These  he  promised  to  attend  to  immediately;  and,  after 
visiting  Gitty  in  her  room,  resumed  his  seat,  and  pursued 
his  usual  vocation. 


116  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 


CHAPTER  XI. 

LIGHTS     AND      SHADOWS. 


-Why  then,  you  princes, 


Do  you,  with  cheeks  abashed  behold  our  works: 
And  think  them  shames,  which  are,  indeed,  nought  else 
But  the  protractive  trials  of  great  Jove, 
To  find  persistive  constancy  in  men. 

Shakspeare. 

THE  political  intelligence  which  Crosby  gathered  from 
the  conversation  atHopewell,  proved,  alas!  to  be  too  true. 
Forts  Washington  and  Lee  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy,  and  the  Americans  were  retreating  across  the 
Jerseys,  closely  pursued  by  the  British;  so  closely  "that 
the  rear  of  the  army  pulling  down  bridges,  was  often 
within  sight  and  shot  ojp  the  van  of  the  other,  building 
them  up."" 

At  Newark,  Washington  asked  Colonel  Reed, — "Should 
we  retreat  to  the  back  parts  of  Pennsylvania,  will  the  Perm- 
sylvanians  support  us?" 

"That  may  depend  upon  contingencies,"  replied  the 
Colonel.  "If  the  lower  counties  are  subdued,  and  give 
up,  the  back  counties  will  doubtless  do  the  same." 

"My  neck  does  not  feel  as  though  it  was  made  for  a 
halter,"  returned  Washington,  passing  his  hand  over  it. 
"We  must  repair  to  Augusta  county,  in  Virginia.  Num 
bers  will  be  obliged  to  repair  to  us  for  safety,  and  we  must 
try  w.hat  we  can  do  in  carrying  on  a  predatory  war;  and, 
if  overpowered,  we  must  cross  the  Alleghajiy  mountains." 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH   CEOS  BY.  117 

To  increase  the  gloom  which  now  shrouded  his  future 
prospects,  the  hero,  about  this  time,  was  deprived  of  one 
of  his  most  able  coadjutors  and  active  generals.  The  vete- 
rqn  Lee,  while  leading  on  his  division  to  join  the  main  ar 
my,  incautiously  took  up  his  lodgings  at  a  house  three  or 
four  miles  from  his  troops.  This  circumstance  was  imme 
diately  communicated,  by  some  unprincipled  tories,  to 
Colonel  Harcourt,  of  the  British  light-horse,  who  resolved 
to  attempt  his  capture.  Accordingly,  with  a  detachment 
of  dragoons,  he  speedily  surrounded  the  house;  made  Lee 
his  prisoner;  and,  not  permitting  hirn  time  to  take  his  hat 
and  cloak,  mounted  him  on  a  horse,  and  conveyed  him  to 
New -York. 

In  the  mean  time,  Carleton's  army  in  Canada,  after  dri 
ving  the  Americans  from  post  to  post,  had  made  their  ap 
pearance  before  Ticonderoga.  A  naval  engagement  had 
also  taken  place  between  the  two  fleets  on  Lake  Champlain, 
which  continued  about  four  hours,  and  then  resulted  in  the 
defeat  of  the  Americans.  The  enemy,  soon  afterwards, 
established  himself  at  Crown  Point,  and  strengthened  the 
fortifications;  while  Gates,  with  a  corresponding  ardour, 
continued  to  increase  the  works  of  defence  at  Ticonderoga, 
determined  to  give  his  neighbour  a  warm  reception,  if  he 
honoured  him  with  a  visit. 

During  the  development  of  the  foregoing  transactions, 
the  Committee  of  Safety  felt  very  anxious  respecting  the 
state  of  affairs  on  the  northern  frontier.  Frequent  instan 
ces  had  been  reported  to  them,  of  persons,  in  that  quarter, 
being  detected  in  enlisting  soldiers  for  the  tory  regiments 
in  New-York.  It  had  been  already  decreed,  that  every 
person  of  this  description,  who  might  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  Americans,  should  be  tried  by  a  court  martial;  and,  if 
found  guilty,  executed  as  a  spy.(l)  Some  had  already  suf- 


118  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  <ttt 

fered  death  under  this  law,  and  still  the  nefarious  practice 
was  continued.  Under  such  circumstances,  the  commit 
tee  deter  mined  to  send  Crosby  to  the  north. 

Our  hero  was  still  a  member  of  the  friendly  Dutchman's 
family*  Gitty  had  recovered  her  health,  and  the  Sunday 
shoes  of  Catreen  had  been  once  displayed  at  church. 

It  was  a  cold  morning  near  the  close  of  December,  and 
at  a  very  early  hour,  that  Crosby  received  a  communica 
tion  from  the  Committee  of  Safety,  on  the  subject  of  this 
Northern  excursion.  He  had  just  resumed  his  seat  on 
what  has  been  not  unaptly  termed  St.  Crispin's  fiddle;  for, 
in  the  present  instance,  it  not  only  resembled  that  instru 
ment  inform,  but  also  in  tone,  as  its  unstable  joints  squeak 
ed  in  unison  to  the  music  of  the  hammer  and  lapstone. 
Such  as  it  was,  however,  it  was  the  manufacture  of  Cros 
by's  own  hands ;  exhibiting  another  evidence  of  that  Yan 
kee  ingenuity  which  has  since  become  proverbial  in  the 
production  of  horn  flints,  wooden  nutmegs,  and  artificial 
pumpkin-seeds. 

He  had  just  taken  his  seat,  and  was  attempting  to  soften  a 
roll  of  wax  by  the  warmth  of  his  own  breath,  when,  casting 
his  eyes  to  the  window,  he  saw  a  horseman  at  the  gate,  in 
the  act  of  dismounting  from  a  white  steed,  of  superior  form 
and  dimensions. 

The  unusual  clatter  of  an  old  iron  knocker,  which  or 
namented  the  front  door  of  the  building,  soon  announced 
a  message  of  more  than  ordinary  import;  on  being  admit 
ted,  however,  the  messenger  appeared  to  have  forgotten  the 
abject  of  his  journey  amid  the  more  important  concerns 
of  blowing  his  fingers,  and  warming  his  feet.  But  as  soon 
as  such  matters  were  perfectly  arranged  to  his  mind,  he 
took  a  letter  from  his  pocket,  and  inquired  for  Jacob 
Brown.(2) 


MEMOIRS  OP  ENOCH  CROSBY.  1 19 

*'I  answer  to  that  name,  for  want  of  a  better,"  quaintly 
observed  Crosby,  waxing  his  thread. 

"Then  you  are  the  man  into  whose  hand  I  am  directed 
to  deliver  this  letter.  An  answer  is  expected  by  those  who 
sent  me." 

Crosby  broke  the  seal,  perused  the  epistle,  and  then 
wrote  a  brief  reply,  with  which  the  messenger  departed  on 
foot.  This  done,  our  hero  repaired  to  the  sleeping-room  of 
hi*  host,  who  was  yet  in  bed,  and  informed  him  that  he 
was  under  the  necessity  of  leaving  him  immediately ;  being 
ordered  to  the  north,  on  business  that  would  admit  of  no 
delay,  and  that  a  swift  horse  had  been  sent  for  the  express 
purpose  of  expediting  his  journey. 

"Dunder!"  exclaimed  the  other,  starting  up  in  his 
bed.  "Ten  you  vill  not  shtay  mit  us  all  tee  Christmas 
holidays. 

"Not  an  hour,"  replied  Crosby. 

"Veil,  den,  shtay  till  I  kit  up,  and  Catreen  kit  tee  break 
fast  by  tee  table.  You  must  not  ride  pon  your  pelly  empty 
in  tee  coldt." 

The  whole  family  were  soon  mustered ;  and,  by  the  time 
Crosby  had  completed  his  own  preparations  for  the  journey, 
the  table  was  loaded  with  hot  buckwheat  cakes,  fried  sausa 
ges,  and  every  other  substantial  argument  with  which  a 
Dutch  farmer's  larder  is  always  liberally  supplied.  During 
breakfast,  our  hero  expressed  his  gratitude  to  every  mem 
ber  of  the  family,  for  the  kindness  and  hospitality  which  he 
had  uniformly  received  at  their  hands. 

"Nonsense,  man,  nonsense!"  exclaimed  the  generous 
Dutchman.  "Who  vouldn't  do  tee  same,  ish  no  petter  ash 
nobody." 

|     After  taking  an  affectionate  leave  of  every  member  of 
,  the  family,  and  slily  saluting  Catreen  as  he  stooped  to  as- 


120  THE    SPY    UNMASKED;    OR 

sist  her  in  buckling  his  portmanteau,  which  she  had  liber 
ally  furnished  with  necessaries,  Crosby  left  the  hospitable 
mansion,  and  mounted  his  horse.  He  then  inquired  of  his 
host,  who  had  followed  him  to  the  gate,  the  most  direct 
road  to  Sharon. 

"To  Sharon?  Val,  you  see  dat  road  pon  de  hel?"  point 
ing  in  a  northeast  direction. 

"O,  yes,  1  see  it." 

"Val  you  musht  not  take  dat  roat.  You  see  dis  roat  py 
teecolabarak?"  ' 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Valj  dat  ish  not  tee  roat.  But  you  musht  go  right 
straight  py  tee  parn,  and  vere  you  see  von  roat  dat  crooks 
just  so — see  here," — bending  his  elbow,  and  describing  it 
at  the  same  time — "and  ven  you  kit  dere,  keep  right  along; 
and  you  musht  mind  to  come  pack,  and  shtay  all  night  mit 
me,  and  malo  done  our  Haunse's  shoes. "(3) 

In  due  time,  Crosby  found  himself  in  the  right  road,  and 
mounted,  upon  an  excellent  horse.  But  the  dreary  season 
of  the  year,  and  the  consequent  inclemency  of  the  weather, 
rendered  the  journey  extremely  unpleasant.  In  speaking 
of  this  excursion,  Crosby  says — 

"I  travelled  as  far  as  Bennington,(4)  in  Vermont,  a  dis 
tance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  and  suffered 
much  from  the  col  j  and  severe  storms  I  encountered,  and 
from  riding  on  horseback,  contrary  to  my  usual  habits. 
Had  it  not  been  for  expediting  my  journey,  I  should  rather 
have  trusted  to  my  legs." 

The  object  of  his  journey,  however,  was  accomplished; 
for,  besides  detecting  a  number  of  secret  enemies  to  the 
country  in  that  quarter,  whom  he  caused  to  be  apprehended 
and  brought  to  justice;  he  obtained  such  information,  also, 
as  enabled  him  ultimately  to  surprise  a  company  of  them 
much  nearer  home. 


ME310IRS    OF     ENOCH    CROSBY.  121 

In  the  mean  time,  while  Washington,  with  the  main  body 
of  the  American  army,  was  retreating  through  the  Jerseys, 
closely  pursued  by  the  enemy,  General  Heath,  with  his 
division,  remained  to  fortify  and  defend  the  Highlands,  on 
both  sides  the  river.  While  attending  to  this  arduous  duty, 
assisted  by  Lincoln,  Wooster,  Scott,  and  Ten  Broeck,  he 
received  the  agreeable  intelligence  that  Washington,  who 
had  previously  retreated  over  the  Delaware,  into  Pennsyl 
vania,  had  suddenly  turned  upon  his  pursuers  with  the  most 
.complete  success. 

Such  an  event  was  totally  unexpected  by  the  enemy,  who 
were  reposing  in  confident  security  in  Trenton,  and  other 
parts  of  New-Jersey.  They  had  been  celebrating  the  fes 
tival  of  Christmas  with  unusual  satisfaction,  occasionally 
mingling  in  their  libations  some  bitter  sarcasms  against  the 
flying  Yankees.  The  mercenaries  of  Hesse,  Waldecker, 
and  Hanover,  who  were  posted  at  Trenton,  were  particular 
ly  elated  on  this  occasion,  as  they  fondly  believed  that  then- 
labours  were  now  over,  and  the  promised  reward  ready  for 
their  acceptance.  They  imagined  that  they  had  at  length 
succeeded  in  driving  the  rebels  from  their  country,  and  that 
their  houses  and  lands  were  to  be  immediately  divided 
among  the  Hessians — for  such  had  been  the  delusive  tale 
with  which  they  had  been  flattered  by  their  false-hearted 
employers. 

Under  such  impressions,  they  celebrated  the  birth  of 
the  Sa"viour  with  unusual  demonstrations  of  joy;  and  feast 
ed,  and  drank,  and  laughed,  and  sang,  until  the  night  was 
far  spent.  It  was  the  Hessians'  Christmas  banquet, 

But,  like  the  impious  feast  of  Belshazzar,  its  termination 
was  to  be  fatal.  The  handwriting  was  already  on  the  walj 
of  their  air-built  castle  of  success  and  security.  In  the 
morning  watch,  the  hero  of  Liberty  came  upon  them  like 

11 


122  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

a  thief,  and  few  escaped.  After  a  contest  of  half  an  hour, 
those  who  had  not  fallen,  surrendered  to  the  victorious  chief, 
and  his  gallant  little  band  of  barefooted  heroes. (5) 

The  news  of  this  affair  was  like  the  first  ray  of  sunshine 
after  a  long  dismal  gloomy  storm.  It  rejoiced  the  Com 
mittee  of  Safety,  elated  and  encouraged  the  army,  and  re 
vived  the  drooping  hopes  of  Americans  in  every  section  of 
the  country. 

In  the  midst  of  their  congratulations  on  this  auspicious 
event,  the  same  gallant  band  stole  a  march  upon  the  British 
who  were  posted  at  Princeton,  over  whom  they  obtained 
another  complete  victory. (6) 

The  tide  of  success  which  had  so  long  flowed  in  favour 
of  the  enemy,  had  now  turned  against  them;  while  the 
Americans,  suddenly  aroused  from  a  state  of  despondency, 
had  become  elated  with  joy;  and,  in  their  turn,  pursued 
their  invaders  with  as  much  rapidity  as  they  had  recently 
fled  before  them.  Washington  had  always  been  popular; 
he  was  now  the  idol  of  the  army — the  acknowledged  sa 
viour  of  his  country. 

In  order  to  take  advantage  of  the  general  consternation 
which  these  events  had  produced  in  the  ranks  of  the  enemy; 
and,  if  possible,  to  drive  them  entirely  out  of  the  Jerseys, 
Washington  sent  an  express  to  Heath,  whose  head-quarters, 
were  at  Peekskill,  directing  him  to  draw  his  forces  from  the 
Highlands,  (excepting  a  sufficient  guard,)  and  march  them 
down  through  the  "neutral  ground,"  towards  New- York, 
as  if  he  had  a  design  upon  the  city.  This  manoeuvre  had 
the  desired  effect.  The  enemy  became  alarmed  for  the 
safety  of  the  city,  and  withdrew  his  forces  to  protect  it. 

Heath  advanced  down  as  far  as  Kingsbridge,  where  a 
battle  took  place,  without  much  advantage  on  either  side. 
He  then  retired  to  the  fortresses  of  the  Highlands,  where 


MEMOIRS    OF   ENOCH    CROSBY.  12 

he  retained  the  command  until  Washington  ordered  him  to 
take  that  of  the  eastern  department,  and  hold  his  head 
quarters  at  Boston. 

Several  other  events  of  interest  occurred  about  this  pe 
riod.  General  Dickenson,  with  four  hundred  militia,  and 
fifty  Pennsylvania  riflemen,  defeated  a  British  foraging  par 
ty  of  equal  numbers,  taking  nine  prisoners,  one  hundred 
horses,  forty  wagons,  besides  a  number  of  sheep  and  cattle. 
Shortly  after  this  affair,  Colonel  Neilson,  of  New-Bruns 
wick,  with  a  party  of  militia,  defeated  the  British  Major 
Stockton,  killed  four  of  his  men,  and  captured  fifty-nine, 
together  with  their  commander. 

Every  such  incident  produced  a  beneficial  effect  on  the 
reviving  hopes  of  America;  and  tended,  not  a  little,  to  les 
sen  the  mortification  arising  from  several  concomitant  dis 
asters;  such  as  the  enemy  taking  possession  of  Rhode- 
Island;  and  also,  their  destroying  some  stores  at  Peekskill. 

This  latter  affair,  however,  was  of  trifling  import.  Heath 
had  gone  to  Boston;  and  M'Dougall.  who  commanded  the 
post  at  Peekskill,  finding  it  prudent  to  retire,  on  the  ap 
proach  of  the  enemy,  the  object  of  their  expedition  was 
partially  accomplished.  But  the  gallant  Willett,  then  a 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  with  only  sixty  men,  came  upon  the 
enemy  by  surprise,  and  compelled  them  to  retire  with  great 
precipitation,  on  board  their  vessels  in  the  North  river,  after 
having  suffered  a  considerable  loss. 


124  THE    SPY  UMM ASKED;   OR 


CHAPTER  XII. 

QUAKER    HILL. 

Do  you  confess,  'twas  not  a  thirst  of  honour 
Drew  you  thus  far;  but  hopes  to  share  the  spoil 
Of  conquered  towns,  and  plundered  provinces? 
Fired  with  such  motives,  you  do  well  to  join 
With  Cato's  foes,  and  follow  Csesar's  banners. 

Addison. 

WHILE  the  prospects  of  the  American  army  were  the 
most  gloomy,  and  the  hopes  of  the  people  at  the  lowest  ebb, 
the  two  Howes,  flushed  with  the  rapid  successes  of  the  roy 
al  troops,  had  availed  themselves  of  the  occasion,  and  put 
forth  a  second  proclamation,  granting  pardons  to  all  those 
who  should,  within  sixty  days,  subscribe  a  declaration  to 
remain  peaceable,  not  to  take  up  arms,  nor  encourage  others 
to  act  against  the  king's  authority.  At  the  same  time, 
they  charged  and  commanded  all  who  were  assembled  in 
arms,  against  his  majesty,  to  disband ;  arid  all  legislative 
assemblies,  committees,  &,c.  to  desist  from  their  treasona 
ble  practices,  and  relinquish  their  usurped  power,  within 
sixty  days  from  the  date  of  the  proclamation. 

In  order  to  convince  the  friends  of  England  that  Crosby 
was  in  the  employment  of  Howe,  the  Committee  of  Safety, 
previous  to  his  journey  to  the  north,  had  furnished  him 
copies  of  the  foregoing  proclamation,  together  with  Howe's 
former  declaration,  offering  .rewards  to  such  Americans  as 
would  assist  him  in  subjugating  their  fellow-countrymen. 

By  exhibiting  these  documents  to  such  as  were  too  wary 
to  avow  their  real  sentiments,  our  hero  was  certain  to  gain 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH   CROSBY,  125 

their  confidence,  which  was  all  that  was  requisite  to  secure 
their  ultimate  detection.  It  was  not  always  easy  to  deter 
mine  who  were  genuine  whigs,  as  hundreds  assumed  that 
mask  to  conceal  their  real  characters.  But  there  was  little 
difficulty  or  danger  in  denouncing  the  cautious  and  the 
wavering  as  tories.  In  a  cause  where  the  liberties  of  a 
whole  nation,  and  the  lives  and  property  of  thousands,  are 
all  at  stake,  "he  who  doubts  is  damn'd."  He  that  is  not 
for  his  country,  is  virtually  operating  against  it.  It  was 
to  such  persons  that  Crosby  exhibited  the  British  proclama 
tions,  and  always  with  success. 

But  there  were  not  wanting  occasions  of  detecting  the 
blustering  pretenders  also.  Crosb'y  had  sufficient  discern 
ment,  and  had  seen  enough  of  human  nature,  to  know 
that  hypocrisy  is  apt  to  overact  its  part.  Under  this  im 
pression,  he  frequently  set  his  trap  for  some  of  the  most 
violent  brawlers  in  the  cause  of  liberty — and  always  with 
the  same  result — for  the  mask  of  patriotism  was  instantly 
thrown  off,  while  the  wearer  would  secretly  confess  to  the 
bearer  of  Howe's  proclamation,  that  he  was  at  heart  a  par- 
lizan  of  Britain. 

On  returning  from  this  excursion,  while  on  his  way  to 
Fishkill,  our  hero  ascertained  that  a  company  of  loyalists 
was  about  being  formed  and  organized  at  Pawling,  a  small 
town  in  Duchess  county,  near  the  Connecticut  line,  and  not 
many  miles  distance  from  the  scenes _of  his  boyish  days, 

To  Pawling,  therefore,  he  immediately  repaired;,, where, 
in  the  course  of  a  fortnight,  he  succeeded  in  winning  the 
confidence  of  the  recruiting  officer;  and,  as  usual,  agreed 
to  become  a  member  of  the  company. 

In  the  centre  of  this  town  is  an  extensive  valley,  boun 
ded  by  high  hills  on  the  east  and  west;  and  in  the  midst  of 
the  valley  is  a  great  swamp,  where  Croton -river,  Fishkill 

u* 


126  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

creek,  and  some  other  streams,  take  their  rise.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  valley,  a  well  known  eminence,  called 
Quaker  hill,  rears  its  gigantic  height,  on  which  stands  a 
large  old-fashioned  Quaker  meeting-house. 

It  was  at  a  retired  habitation,  in  the  vicinity  of  this  build 
ing,  that  the  newly-formed  companies  of  tories  were  in  the 
habit  of  holding  their  secret  meetings.  Our  hero,  accor 
dingly,  made  his  arrangements,  to  have  the  whole  corps, 
himself  included,  taken  into  custody.  Unwilling,  how 
ever,  to  trust  himself  again  in  the  hands  of  the  rangers, 
and  aware  that  his  absence  at  the  time  of  the  capture, 
would  awaken  the  suspicions  of  his  less  fortunate  comrades, 
he  applied  to  a  Colonel  Morehouse,  who  resided  in  the 
vicinity,  and  requested  his  co-operation.  This  gentle 
man  had  no  immediate  command,  but  promised  to  assem 
ble  and  arm  a  sufficient  number  of  men  for  this  particular 
occasion. 

Accordingly,  at  the  time  appointed,  the  tories  being  all 
collected  at  their  usual  rendezvous,  two  of  the  members 
hastily  entered,  with  some  degree  of  consternation  depicted 
in  their  faces,  one  of  whom  addressed  the  captain — 

"Sir,  there  is  a  company  of  armed  men  collecting  at 
Colonel  Morehouse's.  What  can  be  their  object?" 

"Are  we  betrayed!'1  exclaimed  the  Captain,  looking 
sternly  round  upon  the  company.  "Can  it  be  possible  that 
we  have  any  traitors  among  us?" 

"O  iio;"  replied  the  Lieutenant.  "The  probability  is, 

that  the  lower  party  are  coming  up  to  drive  the  d d 

rebels  off;  and  that  Morehouse  has  collected  this  company 
to  oppose  them." 

"Some  of  you  go  out,  and  reconnoitre,"*  said  the  Captain ; 
"and  if  there  be  any  apearance  of  danger,  give  us  timely 
notice." 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CBOSBY.  127 

Five  or  six  immediately  sallied  forth,  while  their  com 
rades  remained  in  anxious  suspense  for  their  report.  This 
suspense,  however,  was  not  of  long  duration;  for  the 
challenge  of  "stand!  surrender!"  soon  saluted  the  ears 
of  the  whole  party,  and  threw  them  into  a  state  of  con 
sternation,  dismay,  and  confusion,  which  it  would  be  dif 
ficult  if  not  impossible  to  describe.  Some  sprang  from 
the  windows,  and  attempted  to  conceal  themselves  by 
plunging  into  snow-banks;  others  ran  to  the  top  of  the 
building,  and  secreted  themselves  under  the  eves  of  the 
roof.  Crosby  retreated  to  an  adjoining  room,  and  crept 
under  a  bed;  but  was  soon  dragged  out,  when  he  learned, 
to  his  secret  joy,  that  scarcely  one  of  the  party  had  suc 
ceeded  in  making  good  his  escape.  Seeing  his  fellow- 
captives  undergoing  the  process  of  being  bound,  our  hero 
was  immediately  seized  with  such  a  severe  lameness  in  one 
of  his  limbs,  as  rendered  it  utterly  impossible  for  him  to 
walk. 

"  I  beg  that  you  would  not  bind  me,"  said  he  to  the 
Colonel:  "for  in  attempting  to  escape  I  have  sprained  my 
leg  in  a  most  shocking  manner,  and  am  not  able  to  move  a 
step." 

"Go  you  shall!"  exclaimed  the  Colonel,  preparing  to 
mount  his  horse.  "  Lame,  or  not  lame,  dead  or  alive,  to 
prison  you  go  with  the  rest.  If  you  cannot  walk,  you 
shall  be  carried;  here's  a  good  horse,  that  will  carry 
double,  and  you  shall  be  tied  to  the  crupper." 

So  saying,  the  Colonel  mounted,  and  ordered  two  of  hi 
men  to  raise  up  Crosby  and  seat  him,  straddle,   on  the 
crupper  behind  him.     The  men  instantly  obeyed,   withou' 
much  tenderness  for  the  sprained  leg,  of  which  the  prisonei 
bitterly  complained. 


128  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

The  whole  cavalcade,  horse  and  foot,  now  took  up  the 
line  of  march,  with  their  prisoners  tied  together  in  pairs. 
On  approaching  the  place  of  confinement,  the  Colonel 
dropped  in  the  rear,  and  in  a  whisper  gave  Crosby  the 
necessary  directions  for  escaping.  The  escort  halted  in 
two  lines,  between  which  the  prisoners  marched  into  the 
building.  While  every  eye  was  fixed  upon  the  procession, 
Crosby  slipped  from  the  Colonel's  horse,  and  disappeared  ; 
nor  was  his  absence  noticed  for  several  minates ;  so  that 
all  search  for  the  fugitive  was* rendered  unavailing.(l) 

From  Pawling,  Crosby  made  his  way  to  Patterson,  a 
few  miles  further  south j  but  "finding  no  game  in  that 
quarter,"  he  concluded  to  repair  to  Fishkill  for  further 
orders.  On  reaching  that  place,  and  obtaining  a  private 
interview  with  the  Committee,  they  informed  him  that  the 
service  on  which  they  next  wished  to  employ  him,  would 
expose  him  to  the  danger  of  taking  the  small-pox,  which 
then  prevailed  in  various  sections  of  the  country.  They 
therefore  wished  him  to  repair  to  Dr.  Miller's,  and  receive 
the  disorder  by  inoculation;  to  which  proposition  he  very 
readily  assented.  Being  furnished  by  the  Committee  with 
a  letter  of  introduction,  together  with  the  necessary 
funds  in  "continental,"  he  immediately  waited  on  the 
Doctor  for  that  purpose.  The  process  was  so  favourable, 
that  the  patient  was  confined  but  a  few  days. 

As  soon  as  he  was  pronounced  fit  for  duty,  the  Com 
mittee  requested  Crosby  to  visit  the  city  of  Albany,  and 
the  town  of  Claverack,(2)  upon  special  business  with 
Colonel  Van  Ness.  Of  the  purport  of  this  mission,  or  the 
time  it  occupied,  we  have  not  been  informed :  but  during 
the  absence  of  their  agent,  the  Committee  of  Safety  was 
dissolved ,(3)  and  two  Commissioners  appointed  in  their 
stead;  viz.  Captain  M.  Smith,  and  a  Mr.  Benson, 


MEMOIRS    OF  ENOCH   CROSBY.  129 

At  Claverack,  Crosby  remained  some  time,  acting  as  an 
agent,  in  transferring  the  property  which  had  been  left  by 
those  tories  who  had  joined  the  enemy,  into  the  hands  of 
such  as  had  abandoned  their  own  property,  in  order  to 
escape  from  the  British.  "  This  course,"  says  Crosby, 
"had  a  very  beneficial  effect;  as  the  tories  soon  became 
tired  of  leaving  their  property  to  the  enjoyment  of  other 
people." 

On  returning  to  the  vicinity  of  the  "Neutral  Ground," 
our  hero  resumed  his  former  vocation  of  ferreting  out  such 
tories  as  were  concerting  plans  to  aid  the  common  enemy, 
and  causing  them  to  be  brought  to  justice.  But  such  was 
the  result  of  his  ingenuity  and  address,  that  his  plans 
were  always  so  contrived  as  to  leave  an  impression  on  the 
minds  of  his  victims,  that  he  was  one  of  their  warmest 
adherents.  He  was  frequently  taken  and  imprisoned  with 
the  rest;  but  always  escaped,  and  in  such  a  mysterious, 
inexplicable,  wonderful  mariner,  as  occasionally  elicited 
from  some  good  old  Dutch  matron,  a  dark  hint,  or  an 
"  ambiguous  giving-out,"  that  Enoch  Crosby  had  entered 
into  a  solemn  covenant  with  a  certain  being  whose  name 
shall  not  sully  our  pages. 

Through  the  medium  of  the  tories,  whose  confidence  in 
our  hero's  loyalty  was  every  day  strengthened  by  the  risks 
he  run  to  serve  their  cause,  he  obtained  much  valuable 
intelligence  respecting  the  contemplated  movements  of  the 
lower  party.  This  he  always  found  means  to  communi 
cate  to  the  Commissioners,  who  as  regularly  transmitted 
the  same  to  head-quarters. 

The  year  1777  \vas  distinguished  by  many  events, 
highly  interesting  to  those  who  were  engaged  in  the  glo 
rious  struggle  for  American  freedom ;  and  there  is  little 
doubt  that  in  the  development  of  several,  the  unseen 
agency  of  Crosby  produced  the  most  auspicious  results. 


130  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Among  the  fortunate  incidents  of  the  year,  may  be  enu 
merated  the  brilliant  success  of  Colonel  Meigs,  at  Sag- 
Harbour,  on  Long-Island  ;(4)  the  capture  of  the  British 
General  Prescott,  by  Colonel  Barton,  of  Providence, 
R.  I.;(5)  Colonel  Willett's  successful  sally  from  Fort  Stan- 
wix,  since  called  Fort  Schuyler;(6)  General  Stark 's  vic 
tory  at  Bennington;(7)  Colonel  Brown's  success  at  Lake 
George  and  Ticonderoga  ;(8)  the  battles  of  Saratoga  and 
Still  water  ;(9)  the  defeat  of  the  Hessians  at  Red  Bank,  by 
Colonel  Greene ;( 10)  and,  finally,  the  surrender  of  General 
Burgoyne,  with  his  whole  army,  to  General  Gates. (11) 

But  this  life,  alas !  is  a  chequered  scene,  and  the  cur 
rent  of  human  affairs  seldom  runs  smooth.  As  a  set  off 
to  the  foregoing,  the  Americans  had  to  deplore  a  series  of 
disasters.  The  most  important  of  these  were,  the  un 
successful  battles  of  Brandy  wine  and  Germantown;(12) 
Wayne's  defeat  at  Paoli;(13)  Warner's  defeat  at  Hubbards- 
town,  in  Vermont ;( 14)  Herkimers  defeat  while  marching 
to  the  relief  of  Fort  Stanwix;(15)  the  plundering  and  burn 
ing  of  Danbury,  in  Connecticut,  and  the  consequent  battle, 
in  which  General  Wooster  was  mortally  wounded,  and  a 
number  of  Crosby's  old  friends  and  fellow-soldiers  slain  ;(16) 
the  occupation  of  Philadelphia  by  the  enemy;  the  capture 
of  Fort  Montgomery ;( 17)  and  the  wanton  conflagration 
of  the  continental  village  of  Esopus,  and  Livingston's 
manor. 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  131 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    SPY    UNMASKED. 

Fictitious  characters  aside  are  thrown, 
And  epilogues  are  given  in  their  own. 

\Pletyer's  Manual. 

INTRIGUE  and  stratagem  in  war,  are  not  only  justifiable, 
but  absolutely  necessary;  and  he  who  proves  the  greatest 
adept  in  these,  will  eventually  pluck  the  laurel  from  the 
brow  of  his  opponent.  But  that  man  must  possess  more 
art,  ingenuity,  and  address,  than  generally  falls  to  the 
share  of  an  individual,  who  can  support  a  fictitious  political 
character  for  months,  and  even  years,  without  being  com 
pelled,  sooner  or  later,  to  throw  off  the  mask,  and  to  stand 
exposed  in  his  own  proper  person. 

Such,  at  length,  proved  to  be  the  destiny  of  our  hero. 
The  mysterions  and  inexplicable  exits,  by  which  he  uni 
formly  eluded  the  fate  and  penalties  of  his  less  fortunate 
companions,  began  to  excite  suspicions,  which  were  not 
long  in  receiving  confirmation.  The  loyalists  naturally 
concluded  that  there  was  something  more  in  this  than 
mere  chance  and  good  luck,  if  their  philosophy  could  only 
find  it  out;  and  by  consulting  on  the  subject,  collating  cir 
cumstances,  and  comparing  notes,  they  at  length  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  Enoch  Crosby,  instead  of  being  what 
he  pretended,  a  friend  to  the  king,  was  in  fact  an  American 
Spy;  and  unanimously  resolved  to  take  a  summary  and 
exemplary  vengeance  on  the  delinquent. 


132  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Aware  of  the  threatening  storm,  Crosby  thought  it  pru 
dent  to  retreat  from  its  fury.  He  had  a  brother-in-law, 
residing  in  the  Highlands,  to  whom  he  had  lately  imparted 
the  secret  of  the  part  he  had  been  playing,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  relieving  his  parents  from  the  burden  of  anxiety 
under  which  they  had  so  long  laboured.  He  therefore 
concluded  to  retire  to  the  Highlands,  and  remain  with  his 
relation,  until  he  could  procure  a  respectable  situation  in 
the  army  of  Washington. 

But  he  was  watched,  by  his  new  enemies,  more  closely 
than  he  had  anticipated ;  and,  on  the  second  day  of  his  re 
tirement,  was  fired  at  through  a  window,  by  some  person  in 
ambush  on  the  outside  of  the  house.  The  ball  just  grazed 
his  neck,  and  lacerated  the  collar  of  his  coat;  it  then 
buried  itself  in  an  opposite  wainscot,  where  the  perforation 
is  still  to  be  seen.  But,  on  the  strictest  search,  no  traces 
of  the  assailant  could  be  discovered. 

Our  hero  was  now  compelled  to  be  very  circumspect  and 
guarded  in  his  movements;  seldom  venturing  to  show  him 
self  on  the  outside  of  the  dwelling,  and  constantly  sleeping 
in  a  retired  back  room,  with  a  loaded  musket  at  hand. 
But  what  precaution  can  elude  the  subtility  of  determined 
vengeance? 

"A  few  nights  subsequent  to  the  foregoing  incident," 
says  Crosby,  in  relating  this  circumstance  to  the  compiler, 
11  an  armed  gang  came  to  the  house  of  my  brother-in-law, 
burst  open  the  door,  dragged  him  from  his  bed,  and  de 
manded  where  I  was  to  be  found.  On  his  refusing  to  tell 
them,  they  commenced  beating  him  until  they  had  almost 
killed  him.  Perceiving  that  there  was  no  alternative  left 
him,  but  either  to  die  under  their  hands,  or  to  inform  them 
where  I  slept,  he  directed  them  to  my  room,  whichv  they 
entered  with  the  fury  of  demons. 


MEMOIRS    OF   ENOCH    CROSBY.  133 

"I  now  awoke,  out  of  a  sound  sleep,  when  the  first  object 
that  met  my  view,  was  a  large  hideous  looking  fellow, 
coming  at  me,  with  a  light  in  one  hand,  and  a  drawn  pistol 
in  the  other.  I  immediately  sprang  from  my  bed;  but, 
before  I  could  reach  my  gun,  he  discharged  his  pistol  at 
me — happily  without  effect.  I  instantly  returned  his  fire; 
but,  being  in  a  scuffle,  my  aim  was  imperfect,  and  the  shot, 
of  course,  ineffectual.  I  then  grappled  with  him,  and  soon 
had  him  on  the  floor,  completely  at  my  mercy. 

"  At  this  moment,  however,  finding  myself,  amidst  the 
smoke  and  confusion,  assailed  by  three  others,  I  was  obliged 
to  relinquish  my  fallen  enemy,  who  sprang  upon  his  feet, 
while  I  was  defending  myself  against  this  formidable  rein 
forcement.  Two  of  them  at  length  succeeded  in  making 
themselves  masters  of  my  hands  and  arms,  which  they 
held  extended,  while  a  third  presented  a  pistol  to  my  breast, 
with  the  manifest  intention  of  blowing  me  through  the 
body.  But.  this  was  prevented  by  the  humane  interference 
of  him  who  had  just  recovered  his  feet, 

"  '  Don't  shoot  the  d d  rascal1.'  exclaimed  he.  '  Let 

us  pound  him  to  death !' 

"And,  sure  enough,  at  it  they  went;  but  soon  found 
that  I  had  hands  and  feet  as  well  as  themselves.  More 
than  one  of  them  was  saluted  with  a  kick  in  the  wind- 
chest,  that  shortened  his  breath;  and,  notwithstanding  their 
superior  numbers,  several  of  them  got  a  flooring,  from  a 
pair  of  fists  that  had  seen  some  service. 

"But  they  finally  proved  too  powerful  for  me;  when, 
exhausted  with  exertion  and  loss  of  blood,  I  fell  on  the  floor 
in  a  state  of  insensibility." 

Supposing  that  they  had  now  consummated  their  bloody 
purpose,  these  merciless  marauders  left  their  senseless  vic 
tim  weltering  in  his  gore,  and  returned  to  the  apartment  of 

12 


134  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

his  brother-in-law,  who  was  not  in  a  much  more  enviable 
situation;  while  the  shrieks  of  women,  and  the  cries  of 
children,  added  to  the  distress  and  confusion  of  the  scene. 

The  villains  then  proceeded  to  plunder  the  house.  They 
broke  open  every  drawer  and  closet  they  could  find ;  and 
not  a  single  portable  article,  of  the  most  trifling  value,  was 
left  behind.  Among  other  things,  they  took  the  clothes 
and  musket  of  our  fallen  hero,  together  with  a  sum  of 
money  belonging  to  his  brother-in-law.  They  then  de 
parted  with  their  booty,  leaving  the  family  in  a  situation 
that  baffles  description.(l) 

But  these  midnight  assassins  had  happily  thought  more 
of  their  plunder,  than  of  their  personal  safety.  The  re 
port  of  fire-arms  had  alarmed  the  neighbours,  who  hastily 
assembled  and  pursued  the  retreating  ruffians,  whom  they 
finally  overtook  on  the  bank  of  the  Croton.  They  were 
considered  as  outlaws,  undeserving  of  quarter.  Those  who 
escaped  the  fire  of  their  pursuers,  were  driven  into  the 
river,  and  several  of  them  drowned!  On  the  fall  of  the 
stream,  in  the  ensuing  spring,  the  musket  of  our  hero,  with 
some  other  articles,  were  found  and  restored. 

Crosby  recovered  very  slowly  from  his  wounds  and 
bruises,  so  that  it  was  several  months  before  he  was  fit  for 
active  duty  of  any  kind.  The  health  of  his  brother-in-law 
was  much  more  speedily  restored ;  but  the  event  itself  was 
one  of  too  much  consequence  to  every  individual  con 
cerned,  to  be  easily  forgotten. 

In  the  mean  time,  through  the  influence  of  the  Marquis 
Lafayette,  an  alliance  had  been  formed  between  France 
and  the  United  States  of  America.  This  event  gave  a 
new  and  brighter  aspect  to  affairs;  and  was  soon  followed 
by  the  active  co-operation  of  a  French  army  and  fleet. 
Lafayette  himself  had  been  appointed  a  major-general,  by 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH  CROSBY.  135 

Congress,  at  an  early  period  of  the  war;  but,  as  yet,  held 
no  separate  command.  He  had,  however,  distinguished 
himself,  in  several  engagement?,  by  the  side  of  Washington- 
and,  at  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  received  a  severe  wound. 
While  posted  at  Barren-Hill,  in  Pennsylvania,  with  a 
detachment  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  men,  an  attempt 
was  made  by  General  Grant,  at  the  head  of  seven  thousand 
British  troops,  to  surprise  him.  But  the  Marquis  defeated 
his  design  by  a  masterly  retreat,  which  did  him  much 
honour.  He  also  acted  a  conspicuous  part  at  the  battle 
of  Monmouth,(2)  where  victory  perched  on  the  standard 
of  freedom. 

Time  rolled  its  ceaseless  course,  and  the  great  contest 
was  continued  with  various  success;  dame  Fortune  some 
times  smiling  on  one  party,  and  sometimes  on  the  other. 
While  the  enemy  could  boast  of  his  successful  depredations 
at  Rhode-Island,  Egg-Harbour,  Nantucket,  New-Haven, 
and  various  other  places,  the  Americans  could  congratu 
late  themselves  on  Wayne's  glorious  victory  at  Stony- 
Point  ;(3)  the  enemy's  repulse  at  Rhode-Island,  by  General 
Sullivan  ;(4)  and  on  the  success  of  Major  Lee,  at  Powles1 
Hook. (5)  Although  they  had  to  deplore  the  unfortunate 
surprise  of  Colonel  Baylor,  at  Tappan,  by  the  British 
Genera]  Gray,  who  ordered  no  quarter  to  be  given  to  the 
Americans;  yet  they  had  the  consolation  of  several  bril 
liant  achievements,  on  their  own  part,  which  were  unsul 
lied  by  a  single  act  of  inhumanity,  or  a  drop  of  needless 
blood. 

The  history  of  our  hero  furnishes  no  event  of  interest, 
since  the  midnight  assault  of  his  enemies,  until  we  find 
him  holding  a  subordinate  command  in  the  elegant  corps 
of  the  Marquis  Lafayette. 


136  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

Two  brigades  had  been  selected  from  the  different  regi 
ments  in  the  main  army,  by  Washington  himself,  as  a  com 
pliment  to  his  gallant  young  friend,  and  fellow-labourer 
in  the  glorious  cause  of  liberty.  When  duly  organized, 
they  were  paraded  and  reviewed  by  the  commander-in- 
chief,  with  all  his  general  officers,  who  were  unanimously 
of  the  opinion  that  the  whole  army  could  not  furnish  a 
more  excellent  corps  of  light  infantry.  They  were  then 
presented,  in  form,  to  the  young  marquis,  who  was  so  de 
lighted  with  his  command,  that  he  immediately  equipped 
them  at  his  own  individual  expense,  in  a  style  of  superior 
elegance.  To  every  officer  he  presented  an  elegant  sword, 
and  the  privates  were  clothed  in  a  beautiful  uniform. 
"  He  infused  into  this  corps  a  spirit  of  pride  and  emulation, 
viewing  it  as  one  formed  and  modelled  according  to  his 
own  wishes,  and  as  deserving  his  highest  confidence. — 
They  were  the  pride  of  his  heart — he  was  the  idol  of 
their  regard.  They  were  constantly  panting  for  an  oppor 
tunity  of  accomplishing  some  signal  achievement  worthy 
of  his  and  their  character,  and  their  wishes  were  ultimately 
gratified." 

'A  detachment  from  this  corps,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Van  Cortlandt,  was  stationed  on  the  east  side  the  Hudson, 
to  manoeuvre  on  the  "Neutral  Ground,"  where  the  inhab 
itants  were  now  continually  exposed  to  the  ravages  and 
insults  of  refugees  and  tories.  One  company  of  this  de 
tachment  was  commanded  by  Crosby,  during  the  absence 
of  his  captain  to  the  north;  and  was  not  unfrequently  en 
gaged  in  some  interesting  affair  with  the  enemy's  outposts 
and  patroles. 

The  situation  of  the  "Neutral  Ground,"  at  this  period, 
was  painfully  interesting  to  the  patriot  as  well  as  the  phi 
lanthropist.  The  country  was  rich  and  fertile,  and  the 


MEMOIRS  OP   ENOCH    CROSBY.  137 

farms  appeared  to  have  been  advantageously  cultivated; 
but  it  now  wore  the  marks  of  a  country  in  ruins.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  proprietors  having  abandoned  their  farms, 
the  few  that  remained,  found  it  impossible  to  harvest  the 
produce.  The  meadows  and  pastures  were  covered  with 
grass  of  a  summer's*  growth,  and  thousands  of  bushels  of 
apples  and  other  fruit  were  ripening  on  the  trees,  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  fall  and  rot  on  the  ground! 

The  even  mead,  that  erst  brought  sweetly  forth, 
The  freckled  cowslip,  burnet,  and  green  clover, 
Wanting  the  scythe,  all  uncorrected,  rank, 
Conceives  by  idleness:  and  nothing  teems, 
Cut  hateful  docks,  rough  thistles,  kecksies,  burs, 
Losing  both  beauty  and  utility. 
And  as  our  vineyards,  fallows,  meads,  and  hedges, 
Defective  in  their  natures,  grow  in  wildness. 

Shafcs.  Hen.  V. 

Those  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  "  Neutral  Ground"  who 
were  lories,  had  joined  their  friends  in  New-York;  while 
the  whigs  had  retired  into  the  interior  of  the  country. 
Some  of  each  side  had  taken  up  arms,  and  were  now  the 
most  cruel  and  deadly  foes.  Within  the  British  line,  were 
hordes  of  banditti,  consisting  of  lawless  villains,  who  de 
voted  themselves  to  the  most  rapacious  pillage  and  robbery 
among  the  defenceless  inhabitants  between  the  lines,  many 
of  whom  were  dragged  off  to  New- York,  after  witnessing 
the  plunder  of  their  houses  and  farms.  These  shameless 
marauders  were  known v  by  the  names  of  cow-boys  and 
refugees;  who,  by  their  atrocious  deeds,  had  become  a 
scourge  and  terror  to  the  people. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  American  lines,  was  another  class 

of  robbers,  equally  unprincipled,  but  still  more  criminal, 

because  they  committed  their  depredations  under  the  mask 

of  patriotism,     These  were  called  skinners,  and  professed 

12* 


138  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

to  be  whigs;  while  the  cow-boys  claimed  the  title  of  loy 
alists.  The  lust  of  plunder  alone  was  the  governing 
impulse  of  each. 

Numerous  instances  occurred  of  these  miscreants  sub 
jecting  defenceless  persons  to  cruel  tortures,  to  compel 
them  to  deliver  up  their  money,  or  to  disclose  the  places 
where  it  had  been  secreted.  It  was  not  uncommon  for 
them  to  hang  a  man  by  his  neck  till  apparently  lifeless  ;(6) 
then  restore  him;  repeat  the  experiment,  and  leave  him  for 
dead. 

While  Crosby  was  on  duty  in  the  vicinity  of  Teller's 
Point,  where  the  waters  of  the  Croton  empty  into  Tappan 
Bay,  a  British  sloop  of  war  came  up  the  river  and  anchored 
in  the  stream,  opposite  the  Point.  With  an  unconquerable 
predilection  for  stratagem,  our  hero  immediately  concerted 
a  plot,  for  the  sole  purpose,  as  he  says,  of  affording  "a 
little  sport  for  his  soldiers."  He,  accordingly  proceeded 
down  to  the  Point,  accompanied  by  six  men;  five  of  whom, 
besides  himself,  concealed  themselves  in  the  woods,  which 
grew  a  short  distance  from  the  shore,  while  the  other  para 
ded  the  beach,  so  as  to  display  Lafayette's  uniform  in  so 
conspicuous  a  manner  as  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  officers 
on  board  the  vessel. 

The  enemy  swallowed  the  bait;  and  a  boat  soon  put  off 
from  the  sloop  of  war,  manned  with  eleven  men,  under  the 
command  of  a  lieutenant,  to  make  a  prisoner  of  this  one 
yankee,  who  precipitately  fled  into  the  woods,  as  the  barge 
approached  the  shore.  The  Englishmen  followed,  threaten 
ing  to  shoot  the  fugitive  unless  he  stopped  and  surrendered. 

As  soon  as  the  pursuers  had  passed  his  own  little  party, 
which  were  scattered  in  various  directions,  Crosby  ex 
claimed — 

"  Come  on,  my  boys !  Now  we  have  them !" 


MEMOIRS  OF   ENOCH  CROSBY.  139 

At  this  signal  every  man  sprang  up  in  his  place,  with 
a  shout  that  made  the  welkin  ring;  making,  at  the  same 
time,  such  a  rustling  in  the  bushes,  that  the  British, 
thinking  themselves  surrounded  by  a  superior  force,  sur 
rendered  without  resistance.  On  the  next  day  they  were 
inarched  to  Fishkill,  and  confined  in  the  old  Dutch 
church. 

Van  Cortlandt's  detachment  was  small;  but  by  a  well- 
managed  finesse,  he  often  succeeded  in  deceiving  the  ene 
my,  as  to  its  real  numbers.  He  would  occasionally  ap 
proach  the  British  lines;  and,  posting  his  men  in  scattered 
positions,  among  the  hills,  cause  each  squad  to  beat  to  arms 
successively.  They  would  then  show  themselves  to  the 
British,  and  manoeuvre  in  such  a  manner  as  to  appear  like 
reinforcements  coming  down  to  join  the  main  body.  This 
ruse  de  guerre  often  deterred  the  enemy  from  pursuing  his 
predatory  excursions  against  the  defenceless  inhabitants  of 
the  "Neutral  Ground." 

Van  Cortlandt's  detachment,  however,  was  at  length  or 
dered  to  West  Point,  and  from  thence  to  the  main  army  at 
Tappan,  in  New-Jersey ;  where  Crosby  remained  until  his 
stipulated  term  of  service  had  expired.  In  the  mean  time, 
the  following  incident  occurred,  for  the  authenticity  of 
which  we  have  the  testimony  of  Van  Cortlandt  himself; 
although  the  particulars,  it  is  believed,  have  never  before 
been  published. 

A  young  man,  of  Peekskill,  by  the  name  of  John  Pauld 
ing,  while  serving  his  country  in  the  Westchester  militia, 
was  taken  prisoner,  and  sent  to  the  city  of  New- York.  Whe 
ther  he  was  confined  in  a  sugar-house,  or  the  provost(7) 
as  it  was  then  called,  we  have  not  been  informed;  nor  do 
we  know  the  length  of  time  he  remained  a  captive.  It  was 
in  the  summer  of  1780,  however,  about  the  period  that  a 
celebrated  satirical  poem  was  published  in  New-York,  en- 


140  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

titled  the  "Cow-Chase,"(8)  from  the  pen  of  John  Andre, 
adjutant-general  in  the  British  army. 

Though  vigilantly  watched,  Paulding  was  allowed  the 
liberty  of  his  prison-yard,  a  capacious  enclosure  surroun 
ded  by  a  strong  high  fence.  By  bribing  a  coloured  woman, 
who  lived  in  the  vicinity,  to  furnish  him  with  a  ladder, 
he  one  night  effected  his  escape  from  the  yard;  and,  after 
remaining  concealed  sometime  in  her  cellar,  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  North  River,  undiscovered.  Here  he  found 
a  boat,  and  finally  landed  in  safety,  on  the  Jersey  shore, 
near  Hoboken.  He  then  made  the  best  of  his  way  to 
the  American  army  at  Tappan,  where  he  related  his  ad 
venture  to  his  fellow-townsman,  Colonel  Van  Cortlandt, 
whose  assistance  he  solicited,  in  proceeding  to  Peekskill. 
Van  Cortlandt,  accordingly,  supplied  him  with  money, 
furnished  him  with  a  pass,  and  procured  him  a  passage 
across  the  river. 

After  landing  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Hudson,  Pauld 
ing  directed  his  course  homeward;  but  had  not  proceeded 
far,  when  he  met  two  of  his  former  companions  in  arms, 
David  Williams  and  [saac  Van  Wert;  who  hailed  his  re 
turn  with  joy,  and  heartily  congratulated  him  on  his  fortu 
nate  escape,  After  some  conversationj  they  prevailed  upon 
Paulding  to  relinquish  his  intention  of  going  directly  to 
Peekskill,  and  to  accompany  them  on  an  excursion  down 
the  "Neutral  Ground,"  towards  the  British  lines,  where 
they  were  going,  they  said,  "to  have  some  fun  with  the 
cow-boys."  Young  and  enterprising  Paulding  readily  ac 
ceded  to  the  proposal ;  and,  after  providing  himself  with  a 
musket,  and  other  requisites,  he  accompanied  his  reckless 
associates  to  Tarrytown,  where  they  achieved  an  adven 
ture  that  immortalized  their  names,  and  saved  their  country 
from  inevitable  ruin. 


MEMOIRS   OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  141 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    SPY    AND    THE    TRAITOR. 


-Is  there  not  some  chosen  curse, 


Some  hidden  thunder  in  the  stores  of  heaven, 
Red  with  uncommon  wrath,  to  blast  the  man 
Who  owes  his  greatness  to  his  country's  ruin! 

Addison, 

ABOUT  the  middle  of  September,  the  commander-in- 
chief,  attended  by  Generals  Lafayette  and  Knox,  with  a 
splendid  retinue,  left  the  American  camp  in  New-Jersey, 
and  proceeded  to  Hertford,  in  Connecticut,  for  the  purpose 
of  holding  a  conference  with  the  commanding  officers  of 
the  French  fleet  and  army,  which  had  lately  arrived  at 
Rhode  Island.  In  the  mean  time,  the  command  of  the 
American  army  devolved  on  Major-General  Greene,  whose 
head-quarters  were  at  Tappan,  where  the  corps  to  which 
Crosby  was  attached,  was  now  stationed. 

A  week  had  elapsed  since  the  departure  of  Washington, 
and  no  incident  of  importance  had  occurred.  Greene  had 
learned,  through  the  medium  of  his  spies,  that  some  secret 
expedition  was  on  foot,  at  the  city  of  New- York ;  but  of  its 
nature  and  direction,  he  could  not  obtain  the  smallest  hint. 
On  the  ninth  day,  however,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
an  alarm  was  spread  through  the  American  camp;  and,  in 
a  few  minutes,  all  were  under  arms.  A  detachment,  con 
sisting  of  two  regiments,  was  immediately  ordered  to  march 
to  West  Point,  with  all  possible  expedition ;  and  the  rest 
of  the  troops  were  directed  to  hold  themselves  in  readiness 
to  march  at  a  moment's  warning. 


142  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

While  every  one  was  pondering  in  his  own  mind  the 
probable  object  of  this  sudden  movement,  and  vainly  en 
deavoring  to  conjecture  the  cause,  a  general  order  was  pro 
mulgated,  which  soon  explained  it  to  the  whole  army, 
filling  every  breast  with  astonishment  and  indignation. 
The  following  communication,  in  the  orders  of  General 
Greene,  was  read  by  the  Adjutants  to  their  respective  re 
giments  : — 

"Treason,  of  the  blackest  dye,  was  yesterday  discovered. 
General  Arnold,  who  commanded  at  West  Point,  lost  to 
every  sentiment  of  honour,  of  private  and  public  obliga 
tion,  was  about  to  deliver  up  that  important  post  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  Such  an  event  must  have  given  the 
American  cause  a  dangerous,  if  not  a  fatal,  wound.  Hap 
pily  the  treason  has  been  timely  discovered,  to  prevent  the 
fatal  misfortune.  The  providential  train  of  circumstan 
ces,  which  led  to  it,  affords  the  most  convincing  proofs  that 
the  liberties  of  America  are  the  object  of  divine  protection. 
At  the  same  time  that  the  treason  is  to  be  regretted,  the 
General  cannot  help  congratulating  the  army  on  the  happy 
discovery.  Our  enemies,  despairing  of  carrying  their 
point  by  force,  are  practising  every  base  art  to  effect,  by 
bribery  and  corruption,  what  they  cannot  accomplish  in  a 
manly  way. 

"Great  honour  is  due  to  the  American  army,  that  this  is 
the  first  instance  of  treason  of  the  kind,  where  many  were 
to  be  expected  from  the  nature  of  our  dispute.  The  bright 
est  ornament  in  the  character  of  the  American  soldiers  is, 
their  having  been  proof  against  all  the  arts  and  seductions 
of  an  insiduous  enemy. 

"Arnold  has  made  his  escape  to  the  enemy;  but  Major 
Andre,  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  British  army,  who  came 
out,  as  a  spy,  to  negotiate  the  business,  is  our  prisoner." 


MEMOIRS    OF    ENOCH   CBOSBY.  143 

The  particulars  of  Andre's  arrest  and  trial  are  familiar 
to  every  reader.(l)  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jameson  was  then 
the  commanding  officer  on  the  American  lines,  above  the 
neutral  ground;  and  to  him  was  Andre  conducted  by  his 
incorruptible  captors,  Paulding,  Van  Wert,  and  Williams; 
whom  in  our  last  chapter,  we  left  on  their  way  to  Tarry- 
town.  The  prisoner  immediately  requested  Jameson  to 
inform  Arnold,  by  letter,  that  John  Anderson  was  taken 
on  his  way  to  New-York,  with  which  request  the  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  immediately  complied.  Arnold  received  the 
letter  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  while  at  break 
fast.  Two  of  Washington's  aids,  Major  Shaw  and  Dr. 
M'Henry,  had  just  arrived,  and  were  at  breakfast  at  Ar 
nold's  table.  His  confusion  was  visible,  but  no  one  could 
divine  the  cause. 

Struck  with  the  pressing  danger  of  his  situation,  momen 
tarily  expecting  Washington's  return  from  Hartford,  the 
traitor  called  instantly  for  a  horse. 

"A  horse !"  exclaimed  he,  as  he  started  from  the  table. 
"Any  one — even  if  a  wagon  horse!" 

He  then  bade  a  hasty  adieu  to  his  wife,  and  enjoined  a 
positive  9rder  on  the  messenger  not  to  inform  any  one  that 
he  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  from  Colonel  Jameson,  he  re 
paired  to  his  barge,  and  ordered  the  coxswain,  with  eight 
oarsmen,  to  proceed  down  the  river,  to  the  sloop-of-war 
Vulture,  which  he  reached  in  safety,  under  the  protection  of 
a  flag,  and  which  immediately  set  sail  for  New-York. 

Washington  arrived  at  Arnold's  quarters  in  two  hours 
after  the  traitor  had  escaped.  Not  finding  Arnold  at  home, 
and  being  informed  that  he  had  gone  to  West  Point,  Wash 
ington  passed  over  the  river  to  view  the  works  at  that  post; 
but  not  finding  Arnold,  he  returned,  in  the  hope  of  meeting 


144  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

him  at  his  quarters.  But  here  he  was  again  disappointed, 
for  no  person  could  account  for  his  absence. 

Mrs.  Arnold  was  now  in  her  chamber,  in  great  agitation 
and  distress,  deprived  of  her  reason,  and  Dr.  Eustis  in  at 
tendance.  At  a  lucid  interval,  she  requested  to  see  Wash 
ington;  but  by  the  time  he  reached  the  chamber,  her  dis 
traction  returned,  and  she  knew  him  not.  He  then  with 
drew,  and  repairing  to  (he  dining-room,  sat  down  to  dinner, 
but  soon  arose  again  with  apparent  agitation.  He  then 
took  Colonel  Lamb  aside,  and  expressed  to  him  his  suspi 
cion  that  Arnold  had  deserted  to  the  enemy.  In  less  than 
two  hours  it  was  ascertained  that  the  conjecture  was  too 
well  founded;  fora  despatch  arrived  from  Col.  Jameson, 
with  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Andre,  accompanied  by 
his  own  letter  of  confession.  The  prisoner  was  conducted 
to  West  Point,  and  from  thence  to  head-quarters  at  Tappan, 
where  preparations  were  made  for  his  trial  by  a  court- 
martial. 

Washington  immediately  proceeded  to  the  camp,  at  Tap- 
pan  ;  and,  the  moment  he  arrived,  sent  for  Major  Lee,  who 
was  posted,  with  the  Virginia  light-horse,  some  distance  in 
front.  "This  officer  repaired  to  head-quarters  with  celer 
ity,  and  found  the  General  in  his  marquee  alone,  busily  en 
gaged  in  writing.  So  soon  as  Lee  entered,  he  was  reques 
ted  to  take  a  seat,  and  a  bundle  of  papers,  lying  on  the  table, 
was  given  to  him  for  perusal. 

"In  these  papers,  much  information  was  detailed,  tending 
to  prove  that  Arnold  was  not  alone  in  the  base  conspiracy 
just  detected ;  but  that  the  poison  had  spread  •  and  that  a 
Major-General  whose  name  was  not  concealed,  was  certain 
ly  as  guilty  as  Arnold  himself. 

"This  information  had  just  been  received  by  Washington, 
through  his  confidential  agents  in  New- York  j  and  Lee  in> 


M£MOIRS   OF    ENOCH  CROSBY.  145 

mediately  suggested  the  probability  that  the  whole  was  a 
contrivance  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  in  order  to  destroy  that 
confidence  between  the  commander  and  his  officers,  on 
which  the  success  of  military  operations  depend. 

"  'The  suggestion,'  replied  Washington,  'is  plausible,  and 
deserves  due  consideration.  It  early  occurred  to  my  own 
mind,  and  has  not  been  slightly  regarded.  But  the  same 
suggestion  applies  to  no  officer  more  forcibly  than  a  few 
days  ago  it  would  have  done  to  General  Arnold,  now  known 
to  be  a  traitor. 

"  'I  have  sent  for  you,  sir,  in  the  expectation  that  you  have 
in  your  corps  individuals  capable  and  willing  to  undertake 
an  indispensable,  delicate,  and  hazardous  project.  Whoev 
er  comes  forward  on  this  occasion,  will  lay  me  under  great 
obligations  personally;  and,  in  behalf  of  the  United  States, 
I  will  reward  him  amply.  No  time  is  to  be  lost;  he  must 
proceed,  if  possible,  this  night.  My  object  is  to  probe  to 
the  bottom  the  afflicting  intelligence  contained  in  the  papers 
you  have  just  read,  to  seize  Arnold,  and,  by  getting  him,  to 
save  Andre.  They  are  all  connected.  While  my  emissa 
ry  is  engaged  in  preparing  means  for  the  seizure  of  Arnold, 
the  guilt  of  others  can  be  traced ;  and  the  timely  delivery 
of  Arnold  to  me,  will  possibly  put  it  into  my  power 
to  restore  the  amiable  and  unfortunate  Andre  to  his 
friends."(2) 

Lee  readily  undertook  to  find  a  member  of  his  corps 
capable  of  executing  this  hazardous  service,  but  doubted 
whether  he  would  consent  to  engage  in  an  enterprise,  the 
first  step  to  which  was  desertion.  The  person  he  selected 
was  the  Sergeant-Major  of  the  corps,  Champe  by  name,  and 
a  Virginian  by  birth ;  who,  after  much  persuasion,  consen 
ted  to  undertake  it.  He  that  night  deserted  to  the  enemy ; 
and,  though  closely  pursued,  reached  Powles1  Hook  in  ^tfe- 
13 


146 


OR 


ty,  and  was  taken  on  board  a  British  galley,  which  convey 
ed  him  to  New- York,  where  he  was  closely  examined  by 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  gave  him  a  le/er  of  introduction 
to  Arnold,  who  immediately  appointed   him  one  of  his  re 
cruiting  sergeants. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  interposition  of  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton  who  was  extremely  anxious  to  save  his  much-loved  aid- 
de-camp,  still  continued;  and  it  was  expected  that  the  ex 
amination  of  witnesses,  and  the  defence  of  the  prisoner, 
would  protract  the  decision  of  the  court  of  inquiry,  which 
assembled  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  the  month,  and  give  suf 
ficient  time  for  the  consummation  of  the  project  commit 
ted  to  Champe,  from  whom  information  had  just  been  re 
ceived  that  gave  some  hopes  of  his  success. 

But  a  complete  disappointment  took  place  from  a  quarter 
unforseen  and  unexpected.  Andre  disdained  defence,  and 
prevented  the  examination  of  witnesses,  by  confessing  the 
character  in  which  he  stood.  He  was  consequently  de 
clared  to  be  a  spy,  and  condemned  to  suffer  accordingly. 

Washington  approved  the  sentence,  and  ordered  his  exe 
cution  to  take  place  on  the  first  day  of  October,  at  five 
oVlock  in  the  afternoon.  In  this  decision  he  w*as  warran 
ted  by  the  very  unpromising  intelligence  contained  in  ano 
ther  letter  from  Champe,  which  he  had  just  received;  by 
the  still  existing  implication  of  other  officers  in  Arnold's 
conspiracy;  by  a  due  regard  to  public  opinion;  and  by  real 
tenderness  to  the  prisoner  himself. 

Neither  Congress  nor  the  nation  could  have  been,  with 
propriety,  informed  of  the  cause  of  the  delay,  had  any 
been  interposed;  and  without  such  information,  it  must 
have  excited  in  both,  alarm  and  suspicion.  The  secret  was 
known  to  none  but  Washington,  Lee,  Champe,  and  a  confi 
dential  agent  in  New- York.  Andre  himself  could  not  have 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH  CROSBY.  147 

been  intrusted  with  it;  and  would,  consequently,  have  at 
tributed  the  unlooked-for  event  to  the  expostulation  and 
exertion  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  which  would  not  fail 
to  produce  in  his  breast  expectations  of  ultimate  relief  ;  to 
excite  which  would  have  been  cruel,  as  the  realization  of 
such  expectation  depended  only  on  a  possible,  but  improba 
ble,  contingency. 

On  the  first  day  of  October,  at  the  hour  appointed,  a 
large  concourse  of  people  assembled  to  witness  the  execu 
tion  of  the  gallant  and  unfortunate  young  officer.  The 
gallows  was  erected,  and  the  grave  and  coffin  prepared  ; 
but  a  flag-of-truce  arrived  with  a  communication  from  Sir 
Henry  Clinton,  making  another  and  further  proposals  for 
the  release  of  Major  Andre ;  in  consequence  of  which  the 
execution  was  postponed  until  twelve  o'clock  on  the  follow 
ing  day 

This  flag  was  accompanied  by  the  British  General  Ro 
bertson,  with  Andrew  Elliott  and  William  Smith,  Esquires, 
for  the  purpose  of  pleading  for  the  release  of  Major  Andre 
the  royal  army  being  in  the  greatest  affliction  on  the  oc 
casion. 

Elliott  and  Smith,  not  being  military -officers,  were  not 
permitted  to  land;  but  General  Greene  was  appointed, 
by  the  commander-in-chief,  to  meet  Robertson,  at  Dobb's 
ferry,  and  to  receive  his  communications.  He  had,  how 
ever,  nothing  material  to  urge,  but  that  Andre  had  come 
on  shore  under  the  sanction  of  a  flag,  and  therefore  could 
not  be  considered  as  a  spy.  But  this  plea  was  contradic 
ted  by  Andre's  own  confession. 

''Having  failed  in  this  point,  Robertson  requested  tha  t 
the  opinion  of  disinterested  persons  might  be  taken ;  and 
proposed  Generals  Knyphausen  and  Rochambeau,  as  proper 
persons.  This  proposition  could  not  be  acceded  to. 


148  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

"Robertson  then  had  recourse  to  threats  of  retaliation, 
on  some  people  in  New- York  and  Charleston ;  but  he  was 
told  that  such  conversation  could  not  be  heard  nor  un 
derstood. 

"He  next  urged  the  release  af  Andre  on  motives  of  hu 
manity,  saying  he  wished  an  intercourse  of  such  civilities 
as  might  lessen  the  horrors  of  war,  and  cited  instances  of 
Sir  Henry  Clinton's  merciful  disposition;  adding  that  An 
dre  possessed  a  great  share  of  that  gentleman's  affection 
and  esteem,  and  that  he  would  be  infinitely  obliged  if  ho 
was  spared.  He  offered,  that  if  his  earnest  wishes  were 
complied  with,  to  engage  that  any  prisoner  in  their  posses 
sion,  whom  Washington  might  name,  should  be  immediate 
ly  set  at  liberty."(3) 

But  all  intercession  was  fruitless ;  and  least  of  all  availed 
a  letter  to  Washington,  of  which  Robertson  was  the  bearer, 
from  the  traitor  Arnold,  filled  with  threats  of  retaliation,  and 
the  accountability  of  Washington  for  the  torrents  of  blood 
that  might  be  spilt,  if  he  should  order  the  execution  of  An 
dre  !  It  is  difficult  to  say  which  created  the  most  astonish 
ment  in  the  breast  of  Greene — that  Arnold  should  have 
the  consummate  effrontery  to  write  such  a  letter;  or  that 
Robertson  should  consent  to  be  the  bearer  of  it. 

Nothing,  of  course,  was  effected  by  this  interview,  and 
the  messengers  returned  in  despondency  to  New- York.  An 
dre,  in  the  mean  time,  during  his  confinement,  trial,  and 
condemnation,  evinced  a  composure  and  dignity  of  mind, 
that  enlisted  the  sympathies  of  all  in  his  favour.  Not  a 
murmur  escaped  him;  while  the  civilities  and  attentions 
bestowed  on  him,  were  gratefully  and  politely  acknowl 
edged.  Having  left  a  mother  and  two  sisters  in  England, 
he  was  heard  to  mention  them  in  terms  of  the  tenderest  af 
fection  ;  and  in  his  letter  to  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  he  recom 
mended  them  to  his  particular  attention. 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH    CROSBY.  149 

Crosby  assures  us  that,  though  every  one  acknowledged 
the  policy  of  the  sentence,  there  was  scarcely  one  that 
spoke  of  his  approaching  fate  without  evincing  the  deepest 
emotions  of  sympathy.  The  principal  guard  officer,  who 
was  constantly  in  the  room  with  Andre,  informed  Crosby 
that  when  the  fatal  hour  arrived,  and  the  prisoner  was  sum 
moned  to  attend,  he  heard  and  complied  without  any  visible 
emotion;  and  while  all  present  were  more  or  less  affected, 
he  retained  a  serene  countenance,  with  calmness  and  com 
posure  of  mind. 

The  prisoner  walked  from  the  stone  house  in  which  he 
had  been  confined,  between  two  subaltern  officers,  arm  in 
arm.  A  large  detachment  of  troops  was  paraded,  and  an 
immense  concourse  of  people  assembled,  to  witness  the 
awful  ceremony.  As  the  situation  of  Crosby,  in  the  pro 
cession,  was  not  so  convenient  for  observation,  we  will  give 
the  remaining  particulars  in  the  language  of  Dr.  Thacher, 
to  whose  excellent  journal  we  have  already  acknowledged 
ourselves  largely  indebted. 

"During  the  solemn  march  to  the  fatal  spot,'*  says  the 
Doctor,  "I  was  so  near  as  to  observe  every  movement,  arid 
participate  in  every  emotion,  which  the  melancholy  scene 
was  calculated  to  produce.  The  eyes  of  the  immense  mul 
titude  were  fixed  on  the  prisoner;  who,  rising  superior  to  the 
fears  of  death,  appeared  as  if  conscious  of  the  dignified 
deportment  which  he  displayed.  II«  betrayed  no  want  of 
fortitude,  but  retained  a  complacent  smile  on  his  counte 
nance,  and  politely  bowed  to  several  gentlemen  whom  he 
knew,  which  was  respectfully  returned. 

"It  was  his  earnest  desire  to  be  shot,  as  being  the  mode 

of  death   most  conformable  to  the  feelings  of  a  military 

man,  and  he  had  indulged  the  hope  that  his  request  would 

be   granted.     At   the  moment,  therefore,  when   suddenly 

13* 


150  THE  SPY  UNMASKED;  OR 

he  came  in  view  of  the  gallows,  he  involuntarily  started 
backward,  and  made  a  pause.  'Why  this  emotion,  sir?' 
said  an  officer  at  his  side.  Instantly  recovering  his  com 
posure,  he  said — 'I  am  reconciled  to  my  death,  but  I  detest 
the  mode." 

"While  waiting,  and  standing  near  the  gallows/'  con 
tinues  Dr.  Thacher,  "I  observed  some  degree  of  trepida 
tion;  placing  his  foot  on  a  stone,  and  rolling  it  over,  and 
choking  in  his  throat,  as  if  attempting  to  swallow.  So 
soon,  however,  as  he  perceived  that  things  were  in  readiness, 
he  stepped  quickly  into  the  wagon;  and,  at  this  moment,  he 
appeared  to  shrink;  but,  instantly  elevating  his  head  with 
firmness,  he  said,  'It  will  be  but  a  momentary  pang;'  and 
taking  from  his  pocket  two  white  handkerchiefs,  the  pro 
vost  marshall,  with  one,  loosely  pinioned  his  arms;  and, 
with  the  other,  the  victim,  after  taking  off  his  hat  and  stock, 
bandaged  his  own  eyes,  with  perfect  firmness,  which  melted 
the  hearts  and  moistened  the  cheeks,  not  only  of  his  servant, 
but  of  the  throng  of  spectators. 

"The  rope  being  appended  to  the  gallows,  he  slipped  the 
noose  over  his  own  head,  and  adjusted  it  to  his  neck, 
without  the  assistance  of  the  awkward  executioner.  Colo 
nel  Scammel  now  informed  him  that  he  had  an  opportunity 
to  speak,  if  he  desired  it.  He  raised  the  handkerchief 
from  his  eyes,  and  said — 'I  pray  you  to  bear  me  witness  that 
I  meet  my  fate  like  a  brave  man.'  The  wagon  being  now 
removed  from  under  him,  he  was  suspended,  and  instantly 
expired.  It  proved,  indeed,  'but  a  momentary  pang.' 

"He  was  dressed  in  his  royal  regimentals  and  boots;  and 
his  remains,  in  the  same  dress,  were  placed  in  an  ordinary 
coffin,  and  interred  at  the  foot  of  the  gallows;  and  the  spot 
was  consecrated  by  the  tears  of  thousands."(4j 


MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH   CROSBY.  151 

The  enterprise  of  Champe  was  well  concerted,  and 
would  probably  have  succeeded  but  for  an  unforseen  ac 
cident.  On  the  day  preceding  the  night  fixed  upon  for 
the  execution  of  the  plot,  Arnold  removed  his  quarters  to 
another  part  of  the  town;  and  Champe,  with  all  Arnold's 
new  recruits,  were  transferred  from  their  barracks  to  one 
of  the  transports.  He  was  thus  compelled  to  proceed 
with  Arnold  to  Virginia,  where  he  made  his  escape,  and 
rejoined  the  American  army  soon  after  it  had  passed  the 
Congaree,  in  pursuit  of  Lord  Rawdon. 


152  THE  SPY  UNMASKED:  OR 


CONCLUSION. 

Now  are  our  brows  bound  with  victorious  wreaths, 
Our  bruised  arms  hung  up  for  monuments; 
Our  stern  alarums  changed  to  merry  meetings, 
Our  dreadful  marches  to  delightful  measures; 
Grim-visaged  war  hath  smoothed  his  wrinkled  front. 

Shahspeare. 

A  FEW  weeks  after  the  foregoing  events,  intelligence 
was  received  of  a  very  brilliant  exploit  of  the  militia  in 
North  Carolina,  under  Colonels  Campbell,  Cleveland, 
Shelby,  and  Sevier;  who,  with  about  three  thousand  vol 
unteers,  attacked  and  defeated  Major  Ferguson,  at  the 
head  of  a  large  force  of  refugees  and  tories.  Ferguson, 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  his  men,  were  killed,  and 
eight  hundred  and  ten  taken  prisoners,  of  whom  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  were  wounded.  They  also  took  fifteen 
hundred  stand  of  arms.  Of  the  Americans,  Colonel  Wil 
liams  was  mortally  wounded ;  about  twenty  kilted,  and  a 
number  disabled.  Ten  of  the  prisoners  were  immediately 
hung  as  traitors.  This  is  called  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain. 

But  few  incidents  occurred  in  the  vicinity  of  New-York , 
during  the  ensuing  winter  and  spring.  In  July  following, 
the  French  and  American  armies  formed  a  junction  at 
White  Plains,  from  whence  they  proceeded  to  New- Jersey. 
After  some  ingenious  manoeuvring  to  deceive  the  British 
with  respect  to  his  real  designs,  Washington  suddenly 
marched  to  the  south  with  the  combined  armies,  leaving 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  under  the  apprehension  of  an  imme 
diate  attack  on  the  city  of  New-York. 


MEMOIRS  OF    ENOCH   CROSBY,  153 

The  result  of  this  southern  expedition  is  well  known. 
Cornvvallis  surrendered  his  army  at  Yorktown,  and  the 
ministry  of  England  gave  up  the  contest  in  despair.  Our 
independence  was  acknowledged,  peace  restored,  and  the 
smiles  of  joy  scattered  over  the  long-afflicted  country. 

Crosby  remained,  with  the  division  of  the  army  which 
was  left  under  the  command  of  Heath,  for  the  defence  of 
the  posts  in  the  Highlands,  until  the  period  of  his  engage 
ment  had  expired.  He  then  retired  to  Southeast,  where 
his  father  died  shortly  afterwards  ;  and  there  he  has  since 
resided  up  to  the  present  day. 

He  cultivates  a  small  farm,  the  product  of  his  own  in 
dustry,  since  the  peace  of  1783;  having  received,  for  all 
his  revolutionary  services,  only  the  trifling  pittance  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars.(l)  He  has  had  two  wives,  the 
last  of  which  was  the  widow  of  Colonel  Greene;  and  he  is 
the  father  of  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters, 
who  are  grown  up,  and  settled  in  the  county  of  West- 
chester.  For  twenty-eight  years,  he  was  justice  of  the 
peace  in  the  town  of  Southeast;  and  for  the  last  fourteen 
years,  he  has  held  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  has  likewise  held  that  of  deputy-sheriff  for 
the  county.  He  is  universally,  respected  by  his  neigh 
bours,  acquaintance,  and  fellow- citizens  generally;  and 
now  enjoys  a  "  green  old  age,"  which,  we  trust,  will  be 
succeeded  by  a  happy  immortality;  for  Enoch  Crosby 
was,  "  for  years,  a  faithful  and  unrequited  servant  of  his 
country.  Though  man  does  not,  may  God  reward  him 
for  his  conduct."(2) 


APPENDIX. 


CHAPTER  I 

(1)  "Harvey    Birch,"  says   Cooper,  in   his  interesting 
novel  of  the  Spy,  "was   supposed  to  be  a  native  of  one  of 
the  Eastern  colonies." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  81. 

(2)  It  is  well  known,  that  the  "mother  country"   had, 
for  a  long  period,  reaped  a  rich  harvest  from  the  trade  of 
her  colonial  subjects  in  North  America.     In  order  to  secure 
a   perpetuity  of  these  commercial  advantages,   by   com 
pelling   her   colonists   to  "let  their  workshops    remain  in 
Europe,"  sundry  prohibitory  acts  were  passed  by  parlia 
ment,  in  the  year  alluded  to,  which  produced  considerable 
excitement  on  this  side  the  Atlantic. 

(3)  This  town  derives  its  name  from  its  situation,  being 
the  southeast  corner  of  Putnam  county.     In  extent  it  is 
about  six  miles  square;  bounded  by   Connecticut  on   the 
East,  and  the  county  of  Westchester  (the  neutral  ground) 
on  the  South.     The  face   of  the  country  is  rather  moun 
tainous    and  hilly,   with  numerous   little  valleys  running 
Southwest  and  Northeast.       h   is  well    watered    by   the 
Croton  and  Mill  rivers,  arid  their  tributary  streams.     There 
are,  in  the  town,  five  natural  ponds,  the  largest  of  which  is 
two  miles  in  length  and  one  in  breadth. 

(4)  Tudor,  in  his  life  of  Otis,  gives  us  the  following 
interesting  anecdote :  "  When  President  Adams  was  min- 


156  APPENDIX. 

ister  at  the  court  of  St.  James,  he  often  saw  his  country 
man,  Benjamin  West,  the  late  president  of  the  royal  acad 
emy.  Mr.  West  always  retained  a  strong  and  unyielding 
affection  for  his  native  land.  Mr.  West  one  day  asked  Mr. 
Adams,  if  he  should  like  to  take  a  walk  with  him,  and  see 
the  cause  of  the  American  revolution.  The  minister, 
having  known  something  of  this  matter,  smiled  at  the  pro 
posal,  but  told  him  that  he  should  be  glad  to  see  the  cause 
of  that  revolution,  and  to  take  a  walk  with  his  friend  West 
any  where.  The  next  morning  he  called  according  to 
agreement,  and  took  Mr.  Adams  into  Hyde  Park,  to  a  spot 
near  the  Serpentine  river,  where  he  gave  him  the  following 
narrative.  The  king  came  to  the  throne  a  young  man, 
surrounded  by  flattering  courtiers;  one  of  whose  frequent 
topics  it  was,  to  declaim  against  the  meanness  of  his 
palace,  which  was  wholly  unworthy  a  monarch  of  such  a 
country  as  England.  They  said  that  there  was  not  a  sov 
ereign  in  Europe  who  was  lodged  so  poorly ;  that  his  sorry, 
dingy,  old  brick  palace  of  St.  James,  looked  like  a  stable, 
and  that  he  ought  to  build  a  palace  suitable  to  his  kingdom. 
The  king  was  fond  of  architecture,  and  would  therefore 
more  readily  listen  to  suggestions,  which  were  in  fact  all 
true.  This  spot  that  you  see  here,  was  selected  for  the 
site,  between  this  and  this  point,  which  were  marked  out. 
The  king  applied  10  his  ministers  on  the  subject;  they  in- 
quired'what  sum  would  be  wanted  by  his  majesty,  who  said 
that  he  would  begin  with  a  million :  they  stated  the  ex 
penses  of  the  war,  and  the  poverty  of  the  treasury,  but 
that  his  majesty's  wishes  should  be  taken  into  full  consid 
eration.  Some  time  afterwards  the  king  was  informed,  that 
the  wants  of  the  treasury  were  too  urgent  to  admit  of  a 
supply  from  their  present  means,  but  that  a  revenue  might 
be  raised  in  America  to  supply  all  the  king's  wishes.  Thii 


APPENDIX .  157 

suggestion  was  followed  up,  and  the  king  was  in  this  way 
first  led  to  consider,  and  then  to  consent,  to  the  scheme  of 
taxing  the  colonies." 

(5)  When  these  resolutions  were  first  read  in  the  house  of 
burgesses,  in  Virginia,  the  boldness  and  novelty  of  them 
affected  one  of  the  members  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  cried 
out   "  Treason !  treason !" 

(6)  In   all  America  there  had  been  but  seven  presses 
issuing  newspapers,   previous  to  the  year  1750.     In  1765, 
they  had  increased  to  twenty-six  on  the  continent,  and  Jive 
in  the  West  India  Islands. 

CHAPTER  II. 

(1)  Mrs.  Warren. 

(2)  Mrs.  Warren's  American  Revolution. 

(3)  The  clergymen  of  New-England,  in  particular,  were 
among  the  strongest  advocates  of  "Whig  principles;"  there 
were  a  few  instances  only  of  a  separation  of  a  minister 
from  his  people,  in  consequence  of  political  sentiment.     It 
was  recommended  by  the  provincial  congress  of  Massa 
chusetts,  that  on  other  oecasions  than  the  Sabbath,  min 
isters  of  parishes  should  adapt  their  discourses  to  the  times, 
and  explain  the  nature  of  civil  and  religious   liberty,  and 
the  duties  of  magistrates  and  rulers.     A  zealous   divine, 
who  had  been  compelled  to  abandon  the  people   of  his 
charge  in  Boston,  on  one  occasion   used,  in  the  pu'lpit,  at 
P***?  the  following  emphatic  language:  "O  Lord,  if  our 
enemies  will  fight  us,  let  them  have  fighting  enough.     If 
more  soldiers  are  on  their  way  hither,  sink  them,  O,  Lord, 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea."—Thacher"s  Journal,  p.  23.     "The 
clergy  of   New-England  were  a  numerous,  learned,   and 
respectable  body,  who  had  a  great  ascendancy  over  the 
minds   of  their  hearers.      They   connected  religion  and 

14 


158  APPENDIX. 

patriotism,  and,  in  their  sermons  and  prayers,  represented 
the  cause  of  America  as  the  cause  of  Heaven." — Ramsey. 
"The  clergy  were  among  the  first  and  most  zealous  patriots, 
both  in  speaking  and  writing  in  vindication  of  the  rights  of 
their  country.  No  class  of  men  had  more  deeply  imbibed 
the  spirit  of  their  venerable  ancestors,  the  first  settlers  of 
New-England,  than  they.  None  more  generally  engaged 
in  the  cause  of  their  injured  country,  nor  had  a  greater  and 
more  general  influence  upon  the  people." — Morsels  Rev. 

(4)  Mr.  Cooper  frequently  intimates  that  the  parents  of 
Harvey  Birch  had  been  suddenly  "reduced  from  compe 
tence  to  poverty." — See  Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  33  and  156. 

(5)  Mrs.  Warren's  American  Revolution. 

(6)  John  Adams9  letter  to  Dr.  Morse. 

(7)  The  town  of  Boston  instituted  an  annual  oration  in 
commemoration  of  this  catastrophe,  and  among  the  first 
orators  were  such  names  as  Hancock,  Warren, and  Lovell, 

CHAPTER  III. 

(1)  The  Americans,  determined  to  oppose  the  revenue 
system  of  the  English  parliament,  in  every  possible  shape, 
considered  the  attempt  of  the  East  India.  Company,  to 
evade  the  resolutions  of  the  colonies,  and  dispose  of  teas  in 
America,  as  an  indirect  mode  of  taxation,  sanctioned  by 
the  authority  of  parliament.  Several  public  meetings 
were  held  on  the  subject,  particularly  in  the  town  of  Boston. 
At  one  of  these  meetings,  while  the  assembled  multitude 
were  in  quiet  consultation,  on  the  safest  mode  to  prevent 
the  sale  and  consumption  of  an  herb,  noxious  at  least  to 
the  political  constitution,  the  debates  were  interrupted  by 
the  entrance  of  the  sheriff,  with  an  order  from  the  governor, 
styling  them  an  illegal  assembly,  and  directing  their  imme 
diate  dispersion. 


APPENDIX.  159 

This  authoritative  mandate  was  treated  with  great  con 
tempt,  and  the  sheriff  instantly  hissed  out  of  the  house.  A 
confused  murmur  ensued,  both  within  and  without  the  walls; 
but  in  a  few  moments  all  was  again  quiet,  and  the  meeting 
adjourned  without  delay. 

Within  an  hour  after  this  was  known  abroad,  there  ap 
peared  a  great  number  of  persons,  clad  like  the  aborigines 
of  the  wilderness,  with  tomahawks  in  their  hands,  and 
clubs  on  their  shoulders,  who,  without  the  least  molesta 
tion,  marched  through  the  streets  with  silent  solemnity,  and 
amidst  innumerable  spectators,  proceeded  to  the  wharves, 
boarded  the  ships,  demanded  the  keys,  and  without  much 
deliberation  knocked  open  the  chests,  and  emptied  several 
thousand  weight  of  the  finest  teas  into  the  ocean.  No  op 
position  was  made,  though  surrounded  by  the  king's  ships; 
all  was  silence  and  dismay. 

This  done,  the  procession  returned  through  the  town  in 
the  same  order  and  solemnity  as  observed  in  the  outset  of 
their  attempt.  No  other  disorder  took  place,  and  it  was 
observed  the  stillest  night  ensued  that  Boston  had  enjoyed 
for  several  months. 

The  number  of  persons  disguised  as  Indians  is  variously 
stated — none  put  it  lower  than  sixty,  none  higher  than 
eighty.  The  destruction  of  the  tea  was  effected  by  the 
disguised  persons,  and  some  young  men  who  volunteered ; 
one  of  the  latter  collected  the  tea  which  fell  into  the  shoes 
of  himself  and  companions,  and  put  it  into  a  phial,  and 
sealed  it ;up ;— which  phial  is  now  in  his  possession, — con 
taining  the  same  tea.  The  contrivers  of  this  measure 
and  those  who  carried  it  into  effect,  will  never  be  known ; 
some  few  persons  have  been  mentioned  as  being  among  the 
disguised;  but  there  are  many  and  obvious  reasons  why 
secresy  then,  and  concealment  since,  were  necessary. — 


160  APPENDIX. 

None  of  these  persons  who  were  confidently  said  to  have 
been  of  the  party,  (except  some  who  were  then  minors 
or  very  young  men,)  have  ever  admitted  that  they  were  so. 
Mr.  Samuel  Adams  is  thought  to  have  been  in  the  counsel 
ling  of  this  exploit,  and  many  other  men  who  were  leaders 
in  the  political  affairs  of  the  times ;  and  the  hall  of  council 
is  said  to  have  been  the  back  room  of  Edes  and  Gill's  print 
ing  office,  at  the  corner  of  the  alley  leading  to  Brattle-street 
church  from  Court-street.  There  are  very  few  alive  now, 
who  helped  to  empty  the  chests  of  tea,  and  these  few  will 
probably  be  as  prudent  as  those  who  have  gone  before 
them." 

(2)  The  1st  day  of  June,  1774,  the  day  when  the  Boston 
port-bill  began  to  operate,  was  observed,  in  most  of  the  col 
onies  with  uncommon  solemnity,  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer. 

(3)  When  General  Washington  heard  of  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  April   19,    1775,  and  of  the  slaughter  of  the 
Americans  on   that   occasion,  he  said,  "I  grieve  for  the 
death  of  my  countrymen ;  but  rejoice  that  the  British  are 
still  so  determined  to  keep  God  on  our  side :  for  the  smiles 
of  Heaven  can  never  be  expected  on  a  nation  that  disre 
gards  the  eternal  rules  of  order  and  right,  which  Heaven 
itself  has  ordained." — 'Weems1  Life  of  Washington. 

(4)  The  celebrated  Rev.  John  Home  (Tooke,)  two  years 
after  the  event,  was  tried,  in  England,  and  found  guilty  of 
publishing  an   advertisement,  in  which   it   was  asserted, 
"that  the  king's  troops  had  committed  murder  at  Lexington, 
in  America;"  he  was,  conseqently,  sentenced  to  imprison 
ment  for  a  year,  to  pay  a  fine  of  2001.  and  to  find  security 
for  his  good  behaviour  for  three  years'. — Fordyce^s  Chron. 

(5)  Israel    Putnam    ( afterwards    Major-general,)    was 
ploughing  in  his  field  when  he  heard  the  news.     He  in- 


APPENDIX.  161 

stantly  slopped  his  team,  left  the  plough  in  the  furrow, 
mounted  a  horse>  and  in  eighteen  hours  was  on  the  battle 
ground,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  miles!  He  then  re 
turned  to  Connecticut,  and  raised  an  army;  the  provincial 
congress  of  Massachusetts  having  that  day  voted  to  raise 
thirty  thousand  men. 

(6)  Mrs.  Warren's  American  Revolution. 

(7)  This  excitement  was  not  confined  to  any  class,  age, 
or  sex.     The  females   largely  participated  in  the  patriotic 
ardour  that  prevailed,  and  exhibited  instances  of  heroic 
virtue  that  were  never  surpassed  by  the  celebrated  women 
of  Sparta. 

The  following  anecdote,  which  is  too  well  authenticated 
to  be  disputed,  furnishes  one  instance,  among  thousands 
of  that  heroic  spirit  and  love  of  liberty  which  characterized 
the  American  females  during  the  struggle  for  independence. 

"A  good  lady — we  knew  her  when  she  had  grown  old — 
in  1775,  lived  on  the  sea-board,  about  a  day's  march  from 
Boston,  where  the  British  army  then  was.  By  some  un 
accountable  accident,  a  rumour  was  spread  in  town  and 
country,  in  and  about  there,  that  the  regulars  were  on  a  full 
inarch  for  that  place,  and  would  probably  arrive  in  three 
hours  at  farthest.  This  was  after  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
and  all,  as  might  be  well  supposed,  was  in  sad  confusion — 
some  were  boiling  with  rage  and  full  of  fight,  some  with 
fear  and  confusion,  some  hiding  their  treasures,  and  others 
flying  for  life.  In  this  wild  moment,  when  most  people,  in 
some  way  or  other,  were  frightened  from  their  property, 
our  heroine,  \vho  had  two  sons,  one  about  nineteen  years 
of  age,  the  other  about  sixteen,  was  seen  by  our  informant, 
preparing  them  to  discharge  their  duty.  The  eldest  she 
was  able  to  equip  in  fine  style — she  took  her  husband's 
fowling-piece,  'made  for  duck  or  plover,'  (the  good  man 
14* 


162 


APPENDIX. 


being  absent  on  a  coasting  voyage  to  Virginia,)  and  with  it 
the  powder-horn  and  shot-bag;  but  the  lad  thinking  the 
duck  and  goose  shot  not  quite  the  size  to  kill  regulars,  his 
mother  took  a  chisel,  cut  up  her  pewter  spoons,  and  ham 
mered  them  into  slugs,  and  put  them  into  his  bag,  and  he 
set  off  in  great  earnest,  but  thought  he  would  call  one 
moment  and  see  the  parson,  who  said,  'Well  done  my 
brave  boy — God  preserve  you' — and  OH  he  went  in  the 
way  of  his  duty.  The  youngest  was  importunate  for  his 
equipments,  but  his  mother  could  find  nothing  to  arm  him 
with  but  an  old  rusty  sword;  the  boy  seemed  rather  un 
willing  to  risk  himself  with  this  alone,  but  lingered  in  the 
street,  in  a  state  of  hesitation,  when  his  mother  thus  up 
braided  him.  'You  John  H*****,  what  will  your  father 
say,  if  he  hears  that  a  child  of  his  is  afraid  to  meet  the 
British? — go  along;  beg  or  borrow  a  gun,  or  you  will  find 
one, child — some  coward,  I  dare  say,  will  be  running  away, 
then  take  his  gun  and  march  forward,  and  if  you  come 
back,  and  I  hear  you  have  not  behaved  like  a  man,  I  shall 
carry  the  blush  of  shame  on  my  face  to  the  grave.'  She 
then  shut  the  door,  wiped  the  tear  from  her  eye,  and  waited 
the  issue;  the  boy  joined  the  march.  Such  a  woman 
could  not  have  cowards  for  her  sons.  Instances  of  refined 
and  delicate  pride  and  affection  occurred,  at  that  period, 
every  day,  in  different  places;  and  in  fact  this  disposition 
and  feeling  was  then  so  common,  that  it  now  operates  as 
one  great  cause  of  our  not  having  more  facts  of  this  kind 
recorded.  What  few  there  are  remembered  should  not  be 
lost.  Nothing  great  or  glorious  was  ever  achieved  which 
women  did  not  act  in,  advise,  or  consent  to." 

(8)  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  every  one  of  these  young 
men,  returned  from  the  Northern  campaign  in  safety;  while, 
during  their  short  absence,  one  hundred  deaths  occurred  in 


APPENDIX.  163 

the  town  where  they  belonged.     Perhaps,  by  going  into 
danger,  many  of  them  preserved  their  lives. 

(9)  This  legislative  body  had  voted  to  raise  thirty  thou 
sand  men;  thirteen  thousand  and  six  hundred  of  them  to 
be  of  their  own  province;  and  that  a  letter  and  delegate 
be  sent  to  the  several  colonies  of  New-Hampshire,  Connec 
ticut,  and  Rhode  Island.     The   Committee  of  safety  also 
sent  letters  to  the  several  towns  in  the  colony  soliciting  as 
sistance. 

(10)  This  .enterprise  was  managed  by  Colonels  Easton, 
Arnold,  and  Allen ;  and  so  secretly,  judiciously,  and  rapidly 
was  the  expedition  conducted,  that  they  entered  the  garri 
son  before  it  was  known  that  an  enemy   was  near  it.     Ar 
nold  and  Allen  contended  for  the  honour  of  entering  the 
fort  first;  but  it  was  finally  agreed   that  they   should  both 
go  in  together.     They  advanced  abreast,  and  entered  the 
fortress  at  the  dawning   of  day.      A  sentry  snapped  his 
piece  at  one  of  them,  and  then  retreated  through  the  cover 
ed  way  to  the  parade.     The   Americans  followed,  and  im 
mediately  drew  up.     The  commander,  surprised  in  his  bed, 
was  called  upon   to  surrender  the  fort.     "By  what  author 
ity?1'  exclaimed  the  astonished  officer,  rubbing    his  eyes, 
and  scarcely  knowing  whether  he  was  asleep  or  awake. 

"I  demand  it  in  the  name  of  the  great  Jehovah,  and  of 
the  continental  congress,"  was  the  reply  of  Colonel  Allen. 

(11)  The  heights  of  Charlestown  were  so  situated  as  to 
make  the  possession  of  them  a  matter  of  great  consequence, 
to  either  of  the  contending  parties.     Orders  were  therefore 
issued,  June  16th,  by  the  provincial    commanders,  that  a 
detachment    of  a    thousand    men    should   intrench    upon 
Breed's  Hill.*      Here  the  Americans,  between  midnight 

*Historians,  through  mistake,  have  called  the  hill  where  the  battle  wag  fought 
Bunker  Hill,  which  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  Breed's  or  Russell'i  Hill , 
where  the  battle  was  fought. 


164  APPENDIX. 

and  morning,  with  uncommon  expedition  and  silence,  threw 
up  a  small  redoubt,  which  the  British  did  not  discover  till 
the  morning  of  the  17th,  when  they  began  an  incessant 
firing,  and  continued  it  till  afternoon.  With  the  intrepidity 
of  veteran  soldiers,  the  Americans  bore  this  fire,  and  pro 
ceeded  to  finish  their  redoubt,  and  to  throw  up  a  breast 
work,  extending  eastward  of  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  hill. 
About  noon,  General  Gage  detached  Major-General  Howe, 
and  Brigadier-General  Pigot,  with  the  flower  of  his  army, 
in  two  detachments,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  nearly 
3000  men.  They  landed  at  a  point  about  150  or  200  rods 
southeast  of  the  redoubt,  and  deliberately  prepared  fur  the 
attack.  While  the  troops,  who  first  landed,  were  waiting 
for  a  reinforcement,  the  Americans  on  the  left  wing  towards 
Mystic  River,  for  their  security,  pulled  up  some  adjoining 
post  and  rail  fence,  and  set  it  down  in  two  parallel  lines 
near  each  other,  and  filled  the  space  between  with  hay, 
which  the  day  before  was  mowed  and  remained  in  the  adja 
cent  field.  The  British  troops,  in  the  mean  time,  formed 
in  two  lines,  and  about  3  o'clock  advanced  slowly  towards 
the  Americans.  The  hills  and  steeples  in  Boston,  and  the 
circumjacent  country,  were  crowded  with  anxious  specta 
tors  of  the  dubious  conflict.  While  some  felt  for  the  honour 
ot  the  British  troops,  multitudes,  with  a  keener  sensibility, 
felt  for  the  liberties  of  a  great  and  growing  country.  The 
attack  commenced  on  the  part  of  the  British  troops.  The 
Americans  had  the  precaution,  in  obedience  to  the  orders 
of  their  commanding  officer,  to  reserve  their  fire  till  their 
enemies  had  approached  within  ten  or  twelve  rods  of  their 
works.  They  then  began  a  well-directed  and  furious  dis 
charge  of  small  arms,  which  mowed  down  their  enemies 
in  ranks,  and  occasioned  a  disorderly  and  precipitate  re 
treat.  Their  officers  rallied  them  with  difficulty,  and  push- 


APPENDIX.  165 

ed  them  forward  with  their  swords,  to  a  second  attack. 
They  were  in  the  same  manner  put  to  flight  a  second  time. 
With  still  greater  difficulty  they  were  forced  by  General 
Howe  to  a  third  attack.  By  this  time  the  powder  of  the 
Americans  began  to  fail,  and  their  redoubt  was  attacked  on 
two  sides.  Under  these  circumstances,  a  retreat  was  order 
ed;  the  left  wing  of  the  Americans,  northeast  of  the  re 
doubt,  still  continuing  their  fire,  ignorant  of  what  had  ta 
ken  place  on  the  right,  till  the  British  had  nearly  surroun 
ded  them.  The  retreat  was  effected,  with  an  inconsidera 
ble  loss,  considering  the  greater  part .  of  the  distance  they 
had  to  pass  was  completely  exposed  to  the  incessant  fire  of 
the  Glasgow  man-of-war,  and  two  floating-batteries.  In 
this  retreat,  Warren  fell. 

During  the  heat  of  this  bloody  action,  by  order  of  Gen 
eral  Gage,  Charlestown  was  set  on  fire,  by  a  battery  on 
Cops'  Hill,  in  Boston,  and  a  party  from  the  Somerset  man- 
of-war,  lying  in  Charles  River,  and  nearly  four  hundred 
houses,  including  six  public  buildings,  were  consumed, 
with  their  furniture,  &c.  valued  by  nineteen  men,  under 
oath,  at  156,900Z  specie;  and  two  thousand  persons  redu 
ced  from  affluence  and  mediocrity,  to  the  most  aggravated 
poverty  and  exile. 

The  number  of  Americans  engaged  in  this  memorable 
action  was  only  fifteen  hundred.  There  have  been  few 
battles  in  modern  wars  in  which,  all  circumstances  consid 
ered,  there  was  a  greater  slaughter  of  men  than  in  this 
short  engagement.  The  loss  of  the  British,  as  acknowl 
edged  by  General  Gage,  amounted  to  1054  men.  Nineteen 
commissioned  officers  were  killed,  and  seventy  wounded. 
The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  seventy-seven  killed,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  wounded  and  missing. 


166  APPENDIX. 

The  death  of  Major-General  Warren,  who  four  days  be-^ 
fore  had  received  his  commission,  and  who,  having  had  no 
command  assigned  him,  fought  this  day  as  a  volunteer,  was 
particularly  and  greatly  lamented.  "To  the  purest  pat 
riotism,  and  the  most  undaunted  bravery,  he  added  the 
eloquence  of  an  accomplished  orator,  and  the  wisdom  of  an 
able  statesman." 

(12)  Mrs.  Warren's  American  Revolution. 

(13)  In  the  yea*r  1775,  the  city  of  New-York  (we  mean 
the   compact   part  of  it)   extended  no  farther  north  than 
Partition-street,  now  called   Fulton-street,  near  St.  Paul's 
church.     Beyond   this  there"  were  only  a  few  scattering 
houses,  with  here  and  there  a  handsome  country-seat.     It 
was  considered  a  pleasant  ramble  "out  of  town"  to  go  to 
"the  fields,"  where  the  City  Hall  now  stands. 

(14)  The  fortress  of  Ticonderoga,  so  often  mentioned 
in  the  history  of  the  American  wars,  is  now  a  heap  of  ruins, 
though  many  of  the  walls  are  so  entire  as  to  exhibit  proofs 
of  the  excellency  of  their  construction,  and  of  the  plan  of 
the  works.     It  was  built  by  the  French  in  1756,  on  a  point 
of  land  formed  by  the  junction  of  lake  George  creek  with 
lake  Champlain,  in  N.  lat.  43°  50,  and   34  E.  long,  from 
New-York:  elevation    above    lake   Champlain,   110   feet; 
above  tide  waters,  196  feet.     The  name  is  derived  to  us 
from  the  Indians,  Frenchified;  and  signified  noisy:  Che-on- 
de-roga;  probably  in  allusion  to  the  water.     But  the  French 
called   it  Fort  Carillon.     It  was  a  place  of  great  strength, 
both  by  nature  and  art.     On  three  sides,  it  is  surrounded 
by  water,  and  about  half  of  the  other  side  is  occupied  by  a 
deep  swamp,  and  the  line  of  defence  was  completed  by  the 
French,  with  the  erection  of  a  breast-work,  nine  feet  high, 
on  the  only  assailable  ground.     In    1758,  General  Aber- 
crombie,  with  the  British  army,  assailed  this  fortress;  was 


APPENDIX.  167 

defeated  July  9,  with  the  loss  of  1941  men.  But  it  was 
surrendered  to  General  Amherst,  in  July  of  the  following 
year.  It  was  the  first  fortress  carried  by  the  arms  of  Amer 
ica,  in  the  war  that  established  our  Independence;  it  was 
taken  by  surprise,  by  Colonel  Allen,  May  10,  1775,  and 
retained  till  July  1777,  when  it  was  evacuated,  on  the  ap 
proach  of  General  Burgoyne  with  the  British  army. 

(15)  About  115  miles  north  of  Ticonderoga. 

(16)  Ramsay  says,  that  "the  British  pickets  were  driven 
into  the  fort.     The  environs  were  then  reconnoitred,  and 
the  fortifications   were  found  to  be  much  stronger  than  had 
been  suspected.     This  induced  the  calling  of  a  council  of 
war,  which  recommended  a  retreat  to  Isle  aux  NToix."    Mrs. 
Warren  says,  that  "an  unexpected  attack  from  a  large  body 
of  Indians  obliged  them  to  retreat  to  their  former  post,  and 
await  the  arrival  of  reinforcements."     The  latter  account 
is  in  strict  conformity  with  Mr.  Crosby's  own   statement. 
Both,  however,  may  be  correct. 

(17)  Montgomery  was  a  warm-hearted  Irishman,-  and 
war  was  his  profession.     He  had  been  a  captain  of  gren 
adiers  in  the   17th  regiment   of  British  troops,   of  which 
Moncton  was  Colonel.     In  1772,  he  quittted  his  regiment, 
though  in  a  fair  way  of  preferment,  because  he  disapproved 
of  the  sentiments  of  the  ministry,  and  had  imbibed  an  affec 
tion  for  America,  which  he  viewed  as  the  rising  seat  of  arts 
and  freedom.     A  sentiment  of  a  still  more  tender  nature 
might  have  had  some  influence  in  this  transaction,  as  he 
soon   afterward    married  the    beautiful  and  accomplished 
daughter  of  Judge  Livingston,  of  New- York.     His  many 
amiable  qualities  had  procured  him  an  uncommon  share  of 
private  affection,  and  his  great  abilities  an  equal  proportion 
of  public  esteem.     His  name  was  mentioned  in  parliament 
with  singular  respect.     The  minister  himself  acknowledged 


168  APPENDIX. 

his  worth,  while  he  reprobated  the  cause  he  had  espoused. 
He  concluded  an  involuntary  panegyric,  by  exclaiming — 
"Curse  on  his  virtues!  they  have  undone  his  country." 
When  he  embraced  his  amiable  lady  for  the  last  time,  on 
his  departure  for  Canada,  and  bade  her  a  tender  farewell, 
his  parting  words  were — "You  shall  never  blush  for  your 
Montgomery."  She  never  did— but  a  nation  wept  his  un 
timely  fall. 

"Yes,  yes,  I  go,"  he  whispered  soft, 

"In  freedom's  cause  my  sword  to  wield, 
Columbia's  banner  waves  aloft, 

And  glory  calls  me  to  the  field." 
Then  foremost  on  the  foe  he  prest, 

While  war's  rude  tempest  wildly  roar'd, 
Till,  gushing  from  the  hero's  breast, 

The  purple  tide  in  torrents  pour'd. 

He  fell,  and  oh!  what  fancies  stole 

Through  memory's  vista,  bright  and  warm. 
Till  one  loved  image  o'er  his  soul 

Came  like  an  angel  in  the  storm. 
But  loudly  swell'd  the  bugle's  blast, 

His  hand  instinctive  grasp'd  the  steel; 
^Again  it  swell'd — but  all  was  past, 

The  warrior's  breast  had  ceased  to  fee?. 

Woodworth 

(18)  Ramsay's  American  Revolution. 

(19)  Major  Preston,  the  commanding  officer  at  St.  John's, 
surrendered  that  fortress  on  receiving  honorable  terms  of 
capitulation.     "By  those  it  was  agreed,  that  the  garrison 
should  march  out  with  the  honours  of  war;  that  the  officers 
and  privates  should  ground  their  arms  on  the  plain;  the  offi 
cers  to  keep  their  side-arms,  and  their  fire-arms  be  reserved 
for  them,  and  that  the  people  of  the  garrison  should  retain 
their  effects.     About  five  hundred  regulars,  and  one  hun 
dred  Canadians  became  prisoners  to  the  provincials.     They 


APPENDIX.  169 

also  acquired  thirty-nine  pieces  of  cannon,  seven  mortars, 
and  two  howitzers,  and  about  eight  hundred  stand  of  arms. 
Among  the  cannon  were  many  brass  field-pieces,  an  article 
of  which  the  Americans  were  nearly  destitute." 

(20)  On  Lake  Champlain,  about  twelve  miles  north  of 
Ticonderoga.  "The  celebrated  fortress  of  Crown  Point, 
one  of  the  best  ever  erected  within  the  present  territory  of 
the  United  States,  gave  its  name  to  this  town,  which  con 
tains  the  ruins  of  the  fort.  Along  the  lake,  the  surface  is 
pretty  level,  but  high  mountains  pervade  the  western  part. 
The  fort  itself  is  on  a  point  of  land  jutting  far  into  the 
water  northward,  and  washed  by  a  considerable  bay  on  the 
west,  called  West  Bay.  This  fortress  was  first  erected  by 
the  French,  in  1731,  and  called  Fort  St.  Frederick.  In 
1759,  it  was  surrendered  to  the  British  troops  under  Gener 
al  Amherst,  and  was  occupied  by  them  until  May  14, 1775, 
when  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  (as  stated 
in  a  preceding  note,)  but  was  evacuated  in  1776,  and  again 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  The  walls  were  of  wood 
and  earth,  twenty-two  feet  thick,  and  sixteen  feet  in  height. 
It  was  about  fifteen  hundred  yards  square,  surrounded  by 
a  deep  and  broad  ditch,  cut  in  a  solid  granite  rock,  with 
immense  labour.  On  the  north  is  a  double  row  of  strong 
stone  barracks,  of  a  capacity  to  contain  two  thousand  troops. 
On  the  same  side  was  a  gate,  a  strong  drawbridge,  and  a 
covered  way  to  the  margin  of  the  lake.  The  whole  are 
now  in  ruins,  and  ihe  outworks,  of  which  there  were  some 
pretty  extensive,  are  little  else  than  heaps  of  rubbish,  bare 
ly  sufficient  to  revive  remembrance."— -Spafforffs  Ga 
zetteer. 

^    (21)  So  called   from  its  having  been   the  scene  of  a 

bloody  massacre  on  the  Sabbath  day.     A  large  party  of 

whites  had  encamped  there,  without  suspecting  an  enemy 

15 


170  APPENDIX. 

to  be  near  them  5  but  the  Indians  came  upon  them  suddenly, 
and  cut  them  off,  almost  to  a  man.  Very  few  escaped  to 
tell  the  disastrous  story.  We  have  often  heard  the  tradition, 
but  are  not  in  possession  of  the  particulars.  Lake  George, 
of  course,  could  not  have  been  attractive  to  our  travellers 
in  the  middle  of  winter,'  but  in  any  other  season  it  is  the 
most  beautiful  sheet  of  clear  water  in  America,  perhaps  in 
the  world.  It  is  about  thirty-three  miles  in  length,  and 
nearly  two  in  breadth.  Its  northern  extremity  approaches 
within  two  and  a  half  miles  of  lake  Champlain,  and  the 
outlet  is  little  more  than  three  miles  long,  where  it  is  said 
to  descend  157  feet.  Lake  George  is  surrounded  by  high 
mountains,  and  is  excelled  in  romantic  beauties  by  no  sim 
ilar  waters  in  the  world.  Its  water  is  very  deep,  the  bottom 
so  clean  that  neither  winds  or  freshets  render  it  turbid,  and 
it  abounds  with  the  finest  of  fish  for  the  angler.  Salmon 
trout  are  taken  weighing  twenty  pounds  and  upwards,  with 
a  great  variety  of  other  fish. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

(1)  At  the  close  of  the  year  1775,  the  continental  army 
near  Boston,  was  reduced  to  a  very  critical  situation,  being 
obliged  to  substitute  new  raised  troops  and  militia,  in  the 
place  of  those  who  had  been  in  service  five  or  six  months  j 
and  this  exchange  was  made  within  musket-shot  of  the 
enemy's  lines.  During  part  of  this  period,  their  numbers 
were  not  sufficient  to  man  the  lines,  nor  was  there  powder 
enough  in  camp  to  furnishybwr  rounds  a  man!  They  had 
only  four  small  brass  cannon,  and  a  few  old  honey  comb 
iron  pieces,  with  their  trunnions  broken  off;  and  these  were 
ingeniously  bedded  in  timbers,  in  the  same  manner  as  that 
of  stocking  a  musket.  These  machines  were  extremely 
unwieldy  and  inconvenient,  requiring  much  skill  and  labour 


APPENDIX.  17 1 

to  elevate  and  depress  them.  Had  the  enemy  in  Boston 
been  made  acquainted  with  the  situation  of  their  besiegers, 
the  consequences  might  have  been  unpleasant. — Thacher^s 
Journal. 

(2)  On  the  22d  of  February,  1776,  it  was  evident  that 
some  great  preparations  were  on  foot,  in  the  American  ar 
my,  for  some  important  event.  Orders  were  received,  in 
the  hospital  department,  to  prepare  lint  and  bandages,  to 
the  amount  of  two  thousand,  for  fractured  limbs  and  other 
gun-shot  wounds.  On  the  second  of  March,  a  very  heavy 
discharge  of  cannon  and  mortars  commenced  from  all  the 
works  at  Cambridge  and  Roxbury,  which  continued  at  in 
tervals  for  two  days.  This,  it  seems,  was  merely  a  finesse 
to  draw  the  enemy's  attention  to  a  wrong  quarter.  On  the 
fourth,  the  designs  of  Washington  were  made  known  to  the 
army. 

"The  object  in  view,"  says  Dr.  Thacher,  "is  now  gene 
rally  understood  to  be  the  occupying  and  fortifying  of  the 
advantageous  heights  of  Dorchester.  A  detachment  of 
our  troops  is  ordered  to  march  for  this  purpose  this  eve 
ning;  and  ourregimentj  with  several  others,  have  received 
orders  to  march  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  relieve 
them.  We  are  favoured  with  a  full  bright  moon,  and  the 
night  is  remarkably  mild  and  pleasant;  the  preparations 
are  immense;  more  than  three  hundred  loaded  carts  are  in 
motion.  By  the  great  exertions  of  General  Mifflin,  our 
Quarter-Master  General,  the  requisite  number  of  teams 
has  been  procured.  The  covering  party  of  eight  hundred 
men  advance  in  front.  Then  follow  the  carts  with  the  in 
trenching  tools;  after  which,  the  working  party  of  twelve 
hundred,  commanded  by  General  Thomas,  of  Kingston. 
Next  in  the  martial  procession  are  a  train  of  carts,  loaded 
with  fascines  and  hay,  screwed  into  large  bundles  of  seven 


172  APPENDIX. 

or  eight  hundred  weight.  The  whole  procession  moved  on 
in  solemn  silence,  and  with  perfect  order  and  regularity ; 
while  the  continued  roar  of  cannon  serves  to  engage  the 
attention  and  divert  the  enemy  from  the  main  object. 

At  about  four  o'clock  our  regiment  followed  to  the 
heights  of  Dorchester,  as  a  relief  party.  On  passing  Dor 
chester  Neck  I  observed  a  vast  number  of  large  bundles  of 
screwed  hay,  arranged  in  a  line  next  the  enemy,  to  protect 
our  troops  from  a  raking  fire,  to  which  we  should  have  been 
greatly  exposed*,  while  passing  and  repassing.  The  carts 
were  still  in  motion  with  materials:  some  of  them  have 
made  three  or  four  trips.  On  the  heights  we  found  two 
forts  in  considerable  forwardness,  and  sufficient  for  a  de 
fence  against  small  arms  and  grape  shot.  The  amount  of 
labour  performed  during  the  night,  considering  the  earth 
is  frozen  eighteen  inches  deep,  is  almost  incredible.  The 
enemy  having  discovered  our  works  in  the  morning,  com 
menced  a  tremendous  cannonade  from  the  forts  in  Boston, 
and  from  their  shipping  in  the  harbour.  Cannon  shot  are 
continually  rolling  and  rebounding  over  the  hill;  audit  is 
astonishing  to  observe  how  little  our  soldiers  are  terrified  by 
them.  During  the  forenoon  we  were  in  momentary  expec 
tation  of  witnessing  an  awful  scene  ;  nothing  less  than  the 
carnage  of  Breed's  Hill  battle  was  expected.  The  royal 
troops  are  perceived  to  be  in  motion,  as  if  embarking  to 
pass  the  harbour,  and  land  on  Dorchester  shore,  to  attack 
our  works.  The  hills  and  elevations  in  this  vicinity  are 
covered  with  spectators  to  witness  deeds  of  horror  in  the 
expected  conflict.  His  excellency  General  Washington  is 
present,  animating  and  encouraging  the  soldiers,  and  they 
in  their  turn  manifest  their  joy,  and  express  a  warm  desire 
for  the  approach  of  the  enemy;  each  man  knows  his  place, 
and  is  resolute  to  execute  his  duty.  Our  breastworks  are 


APPENDIX.  173 

strengthened,  and  among  the  means  of  defence  are  a  great 
number  of  barrels,  filled  with  stones  and  sand,  arranged  in 
front  of  our  works ;  which  are  to  be  put  in  motion  and  made 
to  roll  down  the  hill,  to  break  the  ranks  and  legs  of  the 
assailants  as  they  advance.  These  are  the  preparations  for 
blood  and  slaughter!  Gracious  God!  if  it  be  determined 
in  thy  Providence  that  thousands  of  our  fellow-creatures 
shall  this  day  be  slain,  let  thy  wrath  be  appeased,  and  in 
mercy  grant,  that  victory  be  on  the  side  of  our  suffering, 

bleeding,  country. The  anxious  day  has  closed,  and  the 

enemy  has  failed  to  molest  us.  From  appearances,  howev 
er,  there  are  strong  reasons  to  suppose,  that  they  have  only 
postponed  their  meditated  work  till  another  day.  It  is  pre 
sumed  that  the  martial  fire,  which  has  been  enkindled  in  the 
breasts  of  our  soldiery,  will  not  be  extinguished  during  the 
night,  and  that  they  will  not  rest  quietly  under  their  disap 
pointment.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the  sixth,  our  regi 
ment  was  relieved  from  its  tour  of  duty,  and  I  bade  adieu 
to  Dorchester  heights,  without  being  called  to  dress  a  single 
wound.  Not  more  than  two  or  three  men  were  killed  or 
wounded  during  the  twenty-four  hours.  Some  of  the 
British  troops  were  seen  to  embark,  and  pass  down  towards 
the  castle  last  evening,  to  be  in  readiness,  it  was  supposed, 
in  conjunction  with  others,  to  attack  our  works  this  morning; 
but  a  most  violent  storm  came  on  in  the  night,  and  still 
continuing,  obliges  General  Howe  to  abandon  his  enter 
prise;  and  thus  has  a  kind  Providence  been  fit  to  frustrate 
a  design,  which  must  have  been  attended  with  immense 
slaughter  and  bloodshed.  General  Howe  must  now  be 
sensible  of  his  exposed  situation,  and  be  convinced  of  the 
immediate  necessity  of  evacuating  the  town  of  Boston,  if 
he  would  prevent  the  sacrifice  of  his  fleet  and  army." 

15* 


174  APPENDIX, 

(3;  The  distresses  of  the  inhabitants  of  Boston,  during 
the  memorable  winter  of  1775-6,  exceed  description. 
They  had  been  promised  permission  to  leave  the  town,  if 
they  would  deliver  up  their  arms,  which  were  accordingly 
deposited  in  Faneul-Hall,  to  the  care  of  the  select-men. 
But  no  sooner  were  the  citizens  completely  disarmed,  than 
Gage  violated  his  agreement,  and  refused  to  let  them  de 
part.  Nor  was  General  Howe,  his  successor,  any  more 
lenient;  for  he  issued  a  proclamation,  prohibiting  all  persons 
attempting  to  quit  the  town,  without  a  written  license,  on 
penalty  of  military  execution;  and,  if  they  escaped,  they 
were  to  be  proceeded  against  as  traitors,  and  their  effects 
to  be  forfeited.  The  consequences  may  be  easily  con 
ceived.  That  ill-fated  town  was  a  scene  of  famine  and 
distress.  The  inhabitants  were  almost  in  a  state  of  starva 
tion,  for  the  want  of  food  and  fuel.  Totally  destitute  of 
vegetables,  flour,  and  fresh  provisions,  they  were  actually 
obliged  to  feed  on  horse-flesh;  while  the  pews  of  churches, 
old  houses,  and  timbered  wharves,  were  demolished  for 
fuel. — Thacher^s  Journal. 

(5)  See  Thacher's  Journal,  p.  64. 

(6)  See  Thacher's  Journal,  p.  38. 

(7)  Ibid.  p.  64. 

CHAPTER  V. 

(1)  See  Chapter  VI.  third  paragraph. 

(2)  In  person,  the  pedlar  was  a  man  above  the  middle 
height;  spare,  but  full  of  bone  and  muscle.     His  eyes  were 
gray — sunken,  restless;  and,  for  the  few  moments  that  they 
dwelt  on   the  countenances  of  those*  with  whom  he  con 
versed,  seemed  to  read  the  very  soul." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  34. 

(3)  '*From  whatever  cause  it  proceeded,  it  is  certain 
that  a  disposition  to  do,   to  suffer,  and   to  accommodate. 


APPENDIX.  175 

spread  from  breast  to  breast,  and  from  colony  to  colony, 
beyond  the  reach  of  human  calculation.  It  seemed  as 
though  one  mind  inspired  the  whole.  The  merchants  put 
far  behind  them  the  gains  of  trade,  and  cheerfully  sub 
mitted  to  a  total  stoppage  of  business,  in  obedience  to  the 
recommendation  of  men,  invested  with  no  legislative 
powers.  The  cultivators  of  the  soil,  with  great  unanimity, 
assented  to  the  determination,  that  the  hard-earned  pro 
duce  of  their  farms  should  remain  unshipped,  although  in 
case  of  a  free  exportation,  many  would  have  been  eager  to 
have  purchased  it  from  them  at  advanced  prices.  The 
sons  and  daughters  of  ease  renounced  imported  conveni 
ences,  and  voluntarily  engaged  to  eat,  drink,  and  wear,  only 
such  articles  as  their  country  afforded.  These  sacrifices 
were  made,  not  from  the  pressure  of  present  distress,  but 
on  the  generous  principle  of  sympathy,  with  an  invaded 
sister  colony,  and  the  prudent  policy  of  guarding  against  a 
precedent  which  might,  in  a  future  day,  operate  against 
their  liberties. 

"  The  season  of  universal  distress  exhibited  a  striking 
proof  how  practicable  it  is  for  mankind  to  sacrifice  ease, 
pleasure,  and  interest,  when  the  mind  is  strongly  excited 
by  its  passions.  In  the  midst  of  their  sufferings,  cheer 
fulness  appeared  in  the  face  of  all  the  people.  They 
counted  every  thing  cheap  in  comparison  with  liberty,  and 
readily  gave  up  whatever  tended  to  endanger  it.  A  noble 
strain  of  generosity  and  mutual  support  was  generally 
excited.  A  great  and  powerful  diffusion  of  public  spirit 
took  place.  The  animation  of  the  times  raised  the  actors 
in  these  scenes  above  themselves,  and  excited  them  to  deeds 
of  self-denial,  which  the  interested  prudence  of  calmer 
seasons  can  scarcely  credit." 


176  APPENDIX 

(4)  Westchester  county  is  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Hudson,  immediately  above  York  Island.     It   is  joined  to 
Putnam  county  on  the  north,  and  Connecticut  on  the  east; 
comprising  about  four  hundred  and   eighty  square  miles. 
It  enjoys  a  direct  communication  with  the  Hudson  on  the 
west,  and  with  the  Sound  on  the  southeast.     Its  surface,  in 
some  parts,  is  rugged  and  mountainous;  in  others,  beauti 
fully  undulating,  and  luxuriantly  fertile:  the  whole   well 
watered,  and  diversified  with  scenery  that  is  truly  pictu 
resque   and   romantic.     The   centre  of  the   county  lying 
between  the  two  hostile  armies,  during  the   revolutionary 
war,  was  called  the  "  NEUTRAL  GROUND." 

(5)  The  county  of  Westchester,  after   the  British  had 
obtained   possession  of  the  Island  of  New- York,  became 
common  ground,  in  which  both  parties  continued  to  act  for 
the  remainder  of  the  war  of  the  revolution.     A  large  pro 
portion  of  its  inhabitants,  either  restrained  by  their  attach 
ments,  or  influenced  by  their  fears,  affected  a  neutrality 
they  did  not  always  feel.1" — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  2. 

(6)  As  respects  location,  the  Americans  were  always  the 
"upper"   party,  in  the  vicinity   of  New-York;  for  while 
they  letained  possession  of  the  city,  the  British  were  still 
below  them,  at  Staten  Island.     The  same  relative   position 
continued  on  their  retreat  through  the  county  of  West- 
Chester. 

(7)  These  Rangers  were  a  company  of  mounted  men, 
reserved  expressly  for  exigencies  of  this  kind,  whenever 
they   should   occur,  and   to  go  wherever  the  Committee 
should  direct. 

(8)  "Harvey  Birch  had  been  a  pedlar  from  his  youth; 
at  least,  so  he  frequently  asserted."— Spy,  Vol.i.p.  31, 


APPENDIX,  177 

CHAPTER  VI. 

(1)  The  particulars  of  this  tragical  event,  sanctioned  by 
General  Howe,  who  was  knowing  to  them  at  the  time,  are 
thus  related  by  Miss  H.  Adams,  in  her  History  of  New- 
England. 

"  The  retreat  of  General  Washington  left  the  British  in 
complete  possession  of  Long  Island.  What  would  be  their 
future  operations,  remained  uncertain.  To  obtain  informa 
tion  of  their  situation,  their  strength,  and  future  move 
ments,  was  of  high  importance.  For  this  purpose,  General 
Washington  applied  to  Colonel  Knowlton,  who  commanded 
a  regiment  of  light  infantry,  which  formed  the  van  of  the 
American  army,  and  desired  him  to  adopt  some  mode  of 
gaining  the  necessary  information.  Colonel  Knowlton 
communicated  this  request  to  Captain  Hale,  of  Connec 
ticut,  who  was  then  a  Captain  in  his  regiment.  This  young 
officer,  animated  by  a  sense  of  duty,  and  considering  that 
an  opportunity  presented  itself  by  which  he  might  be  useful 
to  his  country,  at  once  offered  himself  a  volunteer  for  this 
hazardous  service.  He  passed  in  disguise  to  Long-Island, 
examined  every  part  of  the  British  army,  and  obtained  the 
best  possible  information  respecting  their  situation  and 
future  operations. 

In  his  attempt  to  return,  he  was  apprehended,  carried 
before  Sir  William  Howe,  and  the  proof  of  his  object  was 
so  clear,  that  he  frankly  acknowledged  who  he  was,  and 
what  were  his  views. 

Sir  William  Howe  at  once  gave  an  order  to  the  provost 
marshal  to  execute  him  the  next  morning. 

The  order  was  accordingly  executed  in  a  most  unfeeling 
manner,  and  by  as  great  a  savage  as  ever  disgraced  hu 
manity.  A  clergyman,  whose  attendance  he  desired,  was 


1 78  APPENDIX. 

refused  him:  a  bible,  for  a  moment's  devotion,  was  not 
procured,  though  he  requested  it.  Letters,  which  on  the 
morning  of  his  execution,  he  wrote  to  his  mother,  and  other 
friends,  were  destroyed ;  and  this  very  extraordinary  reason 
given  by  the  provost  marshal,  '  that  the  rebels  should  not 
know  that  they  had  a  man  in  their  army,  who  could  die 
with  so  much  firmness.' 

Unknown  to  all  around  him,  without  a  single  friend  to 
offer  him  the  least  consolation,  thus  fell  as  amiable  and  as 
worthy  a  young  man  as  America  could  boast,  with  this  as 
his  dying  observation,  i  that  he  only  lamented  he  had  but 
one  life  to  lose  for  his  country.'  How  superior  to  the 
dying  words  of  Andre.  Though  the  manner  of  his  execu 
tion  will  ever  be  abhorred  by  every  friend  to  humanity  and 
religion,  yet  there  cannot  be  a  question  but  that  the  sen 
tence  was  conformable  to  the  rules  of  war,  and  the  practice 
of  nations  in  similar  cases. 

It  is,  however,  a  justice  due  to  the  character  of  Captain 
Hale,  to  observe,  that  his  motives  for  engaging  in  this 
service,  were  entirely  different  from  those  which  generally 
influence  others  in  similar  circumstances.  Neither  expec 
tation  of  promotion  nor  pecuniary  reward  induced  him  to 
this  attempt.  A  sense  of  duty,  a  hope  that  he  might  in 
this  way  be  useful  to  h'is  country,  and  an  opinion  which  he 
had  adopted,  that  every  kind  of  service  necessary  to  the 
public  good,  became  honourable  by  being  necessary,  were 
the  great  motives  that  induced  him  to  engage  in  an  enter 
prise,  by  which  his  connexions  lost  a  most  amiable  friend, 
and  his  country  one  of  its  most  promising  supporters. 

The  fate  of  this  unfortunate  young  man  excites  the  most 
interesting  reflections. 

To  see  such  a  character,  in  the  flower  of  youth,  cheer 
fully  treading  in  the  most  hazardous  paths,  influenced  by 


APPENDIX.  179 

the  purest  intentions,  and  only  emulous  to  do  good  to  his 
country,  without  the  imputation  of  a  crime,  fall  a  victim  to 
policy,  must  have  been  wounding  to  the  feelings  even  of  his 
enemies. 

Should  a  comparison  be  drawn  between  Major  Andre 
and  Captain  Hale,  injustice  would  be  done  to  the  latter, 
should  he  not  be  placed  on  an  equal  ground  with  the  former. 
Whilst  almost  every  historian  of  the  American  Revolution, 
has  celebrated  the  virtues  and  lamented  the  fate  of  Andre, 
Hale  has  remained  unnoticed,  and  it  is  scarcely  known  that 
such  a  character  ever  existed. 

To  the  memory  of  Andre,  his  country  has  erected  the 
most  magnificent  monuments,  and  bestowed  on  his  family 
the  highest  honours  and  most  liberal  rewards.  To  the 
memory  of  Hale  not  a  stone  has  been  erected,  nor  an 
inscription  to  preserve  his  ashes  from  insult." 

(2)  "Harvey  Birch  possessed  the  common  manners  of 
the  country,  and  was  no  way  distinguished  from  the  men 
of  his  class,  but  by  his  acuteness — and  the  mystery  which 
enveloped  his  movements. — Spy,  Vol.  i.p.  31. 

(3)  "At  first   sight    his   strength  seemed   unequal    to 
manage  the  unwieldy  burden  of  his  pack;  yet  he  threw  it 
on  and  off  with  great  dexterity,  and  with  as  much  apparent 
ease  as  if  it  had  been  feathers." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  84. 

(4)  When  engaged  in  his  ordinary  business,  the  intelli 
gence    of  his   face  appeared  lively,  active  and  flexible, 
though  uncommonly  acute;  if  the  conversation  turned  on 
the  ordinary  transactions  of  life,  his  air  became  abstracted 
and  restless;  but   if,  by  chance,  the   revolution  and  the 
country  were  the  topic,  his  whole  system  seemed  altered — 
all  his  faculties  were  concentrated — he  would  listen  for  a 
great  length  of  time  without  speaking,  and  then  would 
break  silence  by  some  light  and   jocular  remarks,  that 


180  APPENDIX. 

were  too  much  at  variance  with  his  former  manner,  not  to 
be  affectation."— Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  84. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

(1)  "This  fort  was  tolerably  situated  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  to  annoy  shipping  going  up  the  river; 
the  works  were  pretty  good  on  that  side,  but  were  not  so, 
nor  fully  completed  on  the  back  side," — HeatWs  Memoirs, 
page  129. 

(2)  See  4th  note  in  Chapter  IX, 

(3)  "Fifty   pistols  lighted   the  scene  instantly,  and  the 
bullets  whistled  in  every  direction  around  the  head  of  the 
devoted  pedlar." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  138. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

'(I)  Some  time  previous  to  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  had  been  sent  southward,  to  the  assistance 
of  Governor  Martin  and  Lord  William  Campbell,  Gover 
nors  of  the  two  Carolinas.  As  soon  as  this  was  known  in 
Cambridge,  Lee  was  ordered  to  set  forward  and  observe 
his  movements,  and  prepare  to  meet  him  with  advantage, 
in  any  part  of  the  continent  he  might  think  proper  to  visit. 
On  reaching  New-York,  with  his  detachment  from  Cam 
bridge,  Lee  put  the  city  in  a  state  of  defence,  and  then 
proceeded  southward  with  such  rapidity,  that,  to  the  aston 
ishment  of  Clinton,  Lee  was  in  Virginia  before  him.  But 
as  the  object  of  the  British  armament  was  still  further 
south,  Lee,  with  uncommon  celerity,  traversed  the  conti 
nent,  met  Clinton  in  North  Carolina,  and  was  again  ready 
for  the  defence  of  Sullivan's  Island,  near  Charleston,  in 
South  Carolina,  before  the  arrival  of  the  British  troops, 
under  thQ  command  of  Clinton.  The  Americans  were 


APPENDIX.  181 

triumphant,  and  the  discomfitted  enemy  was  glad  to  retire  to 
the  general  rendezvous  before  New-York. 

(2)  This  fort  was  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Kingsbridge. 

(3)  New-Rochelle  is  about  five  miles   south  of  White 
Plains,  and   is  washed  on  one  side  by  the  waters  of  the 
East  river,  or  Long  Island  Sound. 

(4)  See  Chapter  VII.  2d  paragraph. 

(5)  This  name  is  said  to  have  been  derived  from  the 
Indian  word  Apokeepsing,  signifying  <£  safe  harbour." 

CHAPTER  IX. 

(1)  See  Heath's  Memoirs. 

(2)  "The  brunt  of   this  battle,"  says  Shallus,  "was 
sustained  by  the  American  General  M'Dougall,  posted  on 
the  right  of  the  American  army,  who  nobly  sustained  his 
post  with  six  hundred  men,  against  the  British  army,  though 
basely  deserted  by  four  regiments  of  rnilitia,  who  fled  on 
the  approach  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  light-horse." 

(3)  This  is  a  high  cobble-hill,  on  the  west  side  of  Hud 
son  river, opposite  Breakneck  Hill.     These  are  the  northern 
hills  of  the  Highland  chain. 

(4)  St.  Anthony^s  Face  is  on  the  south  side  of  Break-' 
neck  Hill,  at  the  north  entrance  of  the  Highlands,  sixty 
miles  from   the   city   of  New- York.     Its  name  is  derived 
from  a  ludicrous  resemblance  of  a  colossal  human  face,  as 
seen  from  the  river.     The  rock  which  has  this  appearance, 
exhibits  a  good  profile  of  a  face  of  thirty-two  feet,  aided 
by  a  little  fancy,  and  a  relish  for  the  marvellous.     A  tree 
which  grows  upon  the  chin,  just  reaches  the  height  of  the 
eyes,  and  kindly  spreads  its  branches  for  the  eye-brows  of 
the  saint.     There  is  another  promontory,  opposite  the  site 
of  Fort  Montgomery,  five  miles  below  West  Point,  which 

16 


182  APPEJfDIX. 

is  called  St,  Anthony's  Nose,  but  the  resemblance  is  less 
remarkable. 

(5)    See  the   Spy,   Vol.  I.  Chap.  V.  three   concluding 
pages. 

CHAPTER  X. 

(1)  "Most  of  the  movements  of  the  pedlar  through  the 
country,  were  made  at  the  hours  which  others  allotted  to 
repose.     His  approaches  to  the  American  lines  were  gen 
erally  so  conducted  as  to  baffle  pursuit.     Many  a  sentinel, 
placed  in  the  gorges  of  the  mountains,  spoke  of  a  strange 
figure  that  had  been  seen  gliding  by  them  in  the  mists  of 
the  evening." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  149. 

(2)  "Dark  and  threatening  hints  began  to  throw  sus 
picion    around    his   movements,   and    the   civil  authority 
thought  it  incumbent  on  them  to  examine  narrowly  into  his 
mode  of  life.     His   imprisonments  were  not  long,  though 
frequent,  and  his  escapes  from  the  guardians  of  the  law 
comparatively  easy,  to  what  he  endured  from  the  persecu 
tion  of  the  military." — Spy.  Vol.  i.  p.  34. 

(3)  "  Will  Washington  say  so,  think  you  ?"  said  Birch 

with    a    ghastly    smile.       "No — no — no Washington 

would  never  say,  'lead  him  to  a  gallows.'  " — Spy,  Vol.  i. 
page  249. 

(4)  "Once,  when, a  strong  body  of  the  continental  army 
held  the  Four  Corners,  for  a  whole  summer,  orders  had 
been  received  from  Washington  himself,  never  to  leave  the 
door    of    Harvey    Birch  unwatched;    the    command  was 
rigidly  obeyed,  and  during  this  long  period,  the  pedlar  was 
unseen.     The  detachment  was  withdrawn,  and  the  next 
night  Birch  re-entered  his  dwelling." — Spy,  Vol.  i.  p.  150. 

(5)  Near  the  site  of  Fort  Washington,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Kingsbridge. 


APPENDIX.  183 

(6)  This  hill  was  bravely  defended  by  the  Americans, 
during  the  attack  of  Fort  Washington.     It  is  supposed  that 
twelve  hundred  of  the  royal  troops  were  killed  or  wounded. 
After  being  twice   summoned,  the  commandant,  Colonel 
Magaw,  was  compelled  to  surrender  with  2870  Americans. 

(7)  See  Chapter  VI.  3d  paragraph. 

(8)  Soon  after  the  reduction  of  Fort  Washington,  Lord 
Cornwallis,  with  a  large  force,  conjectured  to  amount  to 
about  six  thousand  men,  crossed  over  the  North  river,  to 
attack  Fort  Lee,  on   the  opposite  Jersey  shore.     On  the 
intelligence  of  their  approach,   the  first  determination  of 
the  Americans  was  to  meet  and  fight  them;  but  it  was  soon 
discovered  that  the  contest  would  be  too  unequal,  and  the 
garrison  was  saved  by  an  immediate  evacuation,  under  the 
able  guidance  of  General  Greene. 

(9)  See  Heath's  Memoirs. 

CHAPTER  XL 

(1)  One  Daniel    Strong  was  found   lurking   about  our 
army  at  Peekskill,  and,  on  examination,  enlisting  orders 
were  found  sewed  in  his  clothes.     He  was  immediately 
tried  as  a  spy  from  the  enemy,  sentenced  to  suffer  death, 
and  was  executed  accordingly." — Thacher's  Journal. 

(2)  This  was  the  name  by  which  Crosby  was  known  in 
the  Dutchman's  family. 

(3)  This  direction  of  the  worthy  Dutchman,  reminds  the 
writer  of   the    following    story: — "A  Yankee,  travelling 
through  a  Dutch  settlement,  in  the  state  of  New-York,  and 
guessing  that  he  was  near  his  place  of  destination,  thought 
he  would  ascertain  the  fact  by  inquiring  of  a  man  who  was 
hard  at  work  in  a  field  of  potatoes.     He  was  answered  in 
the   following   manner:  <Val  den,  you   vil  turn  de  potato 
patch  round,  de  pridge  over,  and  de  river  up  stream,  arid  de 


184  APPENDIX. 

hel  up ;  and  tirectly  you  see  mine  prother  Haunse's  parn 
shingled   mit    straw;  dat's  his   house,  vare  mine  brother 
Schnyven  lives.     He'll  tell  you  so  petter  as  I  can.     And 
you  go  little  further,  you  see  two  roats — you  must  not  take 
bote  of  'em.'  " 

(4)  Bennington  is  about  thirty-six  miles  from  Albany 
in  a  northeast  direction,  and  is  famous  for  General  Starke's 
victory  over  the  Hessians,  on  the  16th  of  August,  1777. 

(5)  "  Washington  having  obtained  information  that  the 
advanced  party  of  the  enemy,  consisting  of  about  fifteen 
hundred  Hessians  and  British  light-horse,  under  command 
of  Colonel  Rahl,  was  stationed  at  the  village  of  Trenton, 
concerted  a  plan  for  taking  them  by  surprise.     For  this 
purpose,  he  made  choice  of  Christmas  night,  under  the 
idea,  that  in  consequence  of  the   festivity,  they  might  be 
less  vigilantly  guarded.     At  this  time,  the  whole  force  under 
his  immediate  command    did   not  exceed  three   thousand 
men.     At  the  head  of  about  two  thousand   four  hundred 
men,  one  division  being  commanded   by  General  Greene, 
and  the  other  by  General  Sullivan,  he  crossed  the  river 
Delaware  in  boats,  in  the  night  of  the  25th  of  December, 
during  a  severe  storm  of  snow  and  rain.     The  passage  of 
the  boats   was  rendered  extremely  difficult  and  hazardous 
by  the  ice,  and  part  of  the  troops  and  cannon  actually 
failed   in  the     attempt.      Having  .landed   on   the   Jersey 
shore,  he  had  nine  miles  to  march,  and  he  reached  the  vil 
lage  about  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  with  such  promptitude 
and  secrecy,  so  as  to  attack  the  enemy  almost  as  soon  as 
his  approach   was  discovered.      A   smart   firing   ensued, 
which  continued  but  a  few  moments,  when   the  enemy, 
:finding  themselves  surrounded,  threw  down  their  arms,  and 
surrendered  as  prisoners.     Colonel  Rahl,  the  commanding 
officer,-  was  mortally   wounded,  and  seven  other  officers 


APPENDIX.  185 

were  wounded,  and  left  at  Trenton  on  their  parole.  About 
thirty-five  soldiers  were  killed,  sixty  wounded,  and  nine 
hundred  and  forty-eight,  including  thirty  officers,  were 
taken  prisoners,  amounting  in  all  to  one  thousand  and  forty- 
eight.  Of  the  continentals,  not  more  than  ten,  it  is  sup 
posed,  were  killed  and  wounded.  General  Washington  re- 
crossed  the  Delaware  the  same  day  in  triumph,  bringing  off 
six  excellent  brass  cannon,  about  one  thousand  two  hundred 
small  arms,  and  three  standards,  with  a  quantity  of  bag 
gage,  &c.  This  very  brilliant  achievement  is  highly 
honourable  to  the  commander-in-chief,  and  to  all  that  were 
engaged  in  the  enterprise.  We  are  sanguine  in  the  hope 
that  this  most  auspicious  event  will  be  productive  of  the 
happiest  effects,  by  inspiriting  our  dejected  army,  and  dis 
pelling  that  panic  of  despair  into  which  the  people  have 
been  plunged.  General  Washington  allowed  the  Hessian 
prisoners  to  retain  their  baggage^  and  sent  them  into  the 
interior  of  Pennsylvania,  ordering  that  they  be  treated  with 
favour  and  humanity.  This  conduct,  so  contrary  to  their 
expectations,  excited  their  gratitude  and  veneration  for  their 
amiable  conqueror,  whom  they  styled,  '-a  very  good  rebel."1 " 
— Thacher. 

(6)  u  After  his  success  at  Trenton,  General  Washington 
received  considerable  reinforcements  of  troops  from  Vir 
ginia  and  Maryland,  and  some  regiments  of  militia,  which 
enabled  him  again  to  cross  the  Delaware  into  the  Jerseys, 
and  face  the  enemy.  While  at  Trenton,  Lord  Cornwallis 
advanced  to  attack  him,  aad  a  severe  cannonade  com 
menced.  In  the  evening,  General  Washington  ordered  a 
great  number  of  fires  to  be  lighted  up,  and,  leaving  a  suffi 
cient  number  of  men  to  keep  them  burning  during  the 
night,  to  deceive  the  enemy,  stole  a  march  with  his  maia 
army,  taking  a  circuitous  route,  and,  at  9  o'clock  the  next 
16* 


186  APPENDIX. 

morning,  attacked  three  regiments  of  the  British,  who 
were  posted  at  Princeton,  routed  them,  and  drove  them  from 
their  redoubts.  By  this  masterly  manoeuvre,  the  enemy 
lost  about  five  hundred  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners. 
The  loss  on  our  side  is  very  inconsiderable  in  point  of 
numbers,  but  we  have  to  lament  the  death  of  Brigadier 
General  Mercei~,  a  brave  officer  who  commanded  the  Vir 
ginia  militia.  The  fact  is  published,  that  after  General 
Mercer  surrendered  himself,  the  enemy,  deaf  to  the  voice 
of  humanity,  stabbed  him  with  their  bayonets,  and  with  the 
butt  end  of  a  musket  battered  and  disfigured  his  face  in  a 
savage  manner.  It  is  to  be  remarked,  that  on  this  mem 
orable  occasion,  Lord  Cornwallis  was  completely  out-gen- 
eraled;  while,  he  was  expecting  to  find  the  continental  army 
at  their  lighted  fires  at  Trenton,  he  was  astonished  and 
confounded  to  hear  the  firing  occasioned  by  this  same  army, 
beating  up  their  quarters  twelve  miles  in  his  rear.  His 
lordship  immediately  repaired  by  a  forced  marched  to 
Princeton,  but  arrived  too  late  to  retaliate  on  his  vigilant 
antagonist,  who  had  taken  up  his  route  to  Morristown. — 
Finding  that  the  continentals  were  out  of  his  reach,  his 
lordship  proceeded,  without  halting,  to  Brunswick.  Strata 
gems  in  war,  when  wisely  concerted,  and  judiciously  ex 
ecuted,  are  considered  as  characterizing  a  military  genius 
of  superior  order,  and  is  a  quality  of  inestimable  value  in 
every  commander.  It  is  often  exultmgly  remarked  in  our 
camp,  that  Washington  was  born  for  the  salvation  of  his 
country,  and  that  he  is  endowed  with  all  the  talents  and 
abilities  necessary  to  qualify  him  for  the  great  undertaking. 
The  militia  of  Jersey,  immediately  on  their  being  liberated 
from  the  control  of  the  British,  flew  to  arms,  exasperated 
and  stimulated  by  a  recollection  of  their  sufferings,,  and 
have  become  their  most  bitter  and  determined  enemies; 


APPENDIX.  .  ] 87 

and  are  very  active  and  vigilant  in  harassing  them  on  all 
occasions,  keeping  a  continual  watch,  and  cutting  off  small 
parties  whenever  opportunities  offer.  It  is  gratifying  to 
the  army,  that  Congress  have  conferred  on  their  Generalis 
simo  more  ample  powers,  and  appointed  him  Dictator  for 
the  limited  term  of  six  months ;  to  reform  and  new  model 
the  military  arrangements,  in  such  manner  as  he  may  judge 
most  advantageous  for  the  public  service.  Much  good  is 
expected  to  result  from  this  measure/' — Thacher^s  Journal* 

CHAPTER  XII. 

(1)  Why  the  rebels  suffer  him  to  escape  so  easily,  is  more 
than  I  can  answer,"  returned  the  Captain,  "but  Sir  Henry 
would  not  permit  a  hair  of  his  head  to  be  injured." 

"  Indeed !"  cried  Frances,  with  interest,  "is  he  then  known 
to  Sir  H^nry  Clinton?" 

"At  least  he  ought  to  be,"  said  the  Captain,  smiling  sig 
nificantly. — Spy,  Vol.  i.p.  62. 

(2)  Claverack  is  about  thirty-five  miles  south  of  Albany, 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Hudson.     It  was  settled  at  a  very 
early  period  by  the  Dutch,  and  their  descendants  still  oc 
cupy  a  large  proportion  of  the  rich  lands  in  its  vicinity. 

(3)  Jay  was  afterwards  sent  as  an  envoy  to  the  court  of 
Spain.     "His  capacity  was  equal  to  the  business;  he  was 
well  received,  and  his  public  character  acknowledged:  yet 
his    negotiations  were  of  little   consequence  to  America, 
while  he  resided  in  Spain.     Perhaps,  apprehensive  that  the 
spirit  of  freedom  and  revolt  might  extend  to  her  own  colo 
nies,  Spain  chose  to  withhold  her  assistance."     "The  high 
est  favor  he  could  obtain  was,  the  trivial  loan  of  four  or  five- 
thousand  pounds.     A  short  time  afterwards,  however,  Spaia 
declared  war  against  England." — Warren's  Revolution* 


188  APPENDIX. 

(4)  On  the  24th  of  May,  Colonel  Meigs  made  a  success 
ful  attack  on  the  British  stores  at  Sag  Harbour, •  destroying 
twelve  brigs  and  schooners,  together  with  a  great  quantity 
of  hay,  corn,  &c.     He  sustained  no  loss,  and  brought  off 
with  him  ninety  prisoners. 

(5)  "In  the   month  of  July,   1777,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Barton,  of  (he  Rhode-Island  militia,  planned  a  bold  exploit 
for  the  purpose  of  surprising  and   taking  Major-General 
Prescott,    the  commanding  officer  of  the  royal   army  at 
Newport.     Taking  with  him,  in  the  night,  about  forty  men 
in  two  boats  with  oars  muffled,  he  had  the  address  to  elude 
the  vigilance  of  the  ships  of  war,  and  guard  boats,  and 
having   arrived  undiscovered  at  the  quarters  of  General 
Prescott,  they  were  taken  for  the  sentinels,  and  the  General 
was  not  alarmed  till  his  captors  were  at  the  door  of  his 
lodging  chamber,  which  was  fast  closed.     A  negro  man, 
named  Prince,  instantly  thrust  his  beetle  head  through  the 
pannel  door,  and  seized  his  victim  while  in  bed      The  Gen 
eral's  aid-de-camp  leaped  from  a  window   undressed,  and 
attempted  to  escape,  but  was  taken,  and  with  the  General 
brought   off  in   safety.      In   re-passing  the  water-guards. 
General  Prescott   said  to  Colonel  Barton,  "Sir,  I  did  not 
•think  it  possible  you  could   escape  the  vigilance  of  the 
water-guards."      This  is   the   second  time  that  General 
Prescott  has  been  a  prisoner  in  our  hands  within  two  years. 
This  adventure  is  extremely  honourable  to  the  enterprising 
spirit  of  Colonel  Barton,  and  is  considered  as  ample  retal 
iation  for  the  capture  of  General  Lee  by  Colonel  Harcourt. 
The  event  occasions  great  joy  and  exultation,  as  it  puts 
in  our  possession  an  officer  of  equal  rank  with  General 
Lee,  by  which  means  an  exchange  may  be  obtained.     Con 
gress  resolved  that  an  elegant  sword  should  be  presented 
to  Colonel  Barton  for  his  brave  exploit    It  has  been  ascer- 


APPENDIX.  189 

tained  that  General  Howe  has  rel  ixed  in  his  rigid  treatment 
of  General  Lee,  and  conducted  towards  him  in  a  manner 
suitable  to  his  rank.  The  Hessian  officers,  on  whom  retal 
iation  had  been  inflicted,  are  also  restored  to  their  former 
condition  as  prisoners  of  war." — Thacher^s  Journal. 

(6)  "On  the  third  of  August,  1777,  Colonel  St.  Leger, 
and  Sir  John  Johnson,  with  a  body  of  Britons,  Canadians, 
tories,  and  Indians,  invested  Fort  Stanwix,  now  Fort 
Schuyler,  one  hundred  and  ten  miles  from  Albany.  Gen 
eral  Herkimer,  with  about  eight  hundred  militia,  was  ad 
vancing  to  disperse  this  motley  collection,  and  to  relieve 
the  garrison;  but  unfortunately  he  fell  into  an  ambuscade, 
and  suffered  a  considerable  loss.  Being  himself  wounded 
in  both  legs,  he  was  seen  sitting  on. a  stump,  and  coura 
geously  encouraging  his  men,  by  which  they  maintained 
their  ground,  and  did  great  execution  among  the  enemy. 
Several  of  the  Indian  chiefs  were  slain  by  the  first  fire, 
which  so  disheartened  the  remainder,  that  they  were  thrown 
into  the  greatest  confusion,  and  turning  on  the  tories,  and 
other  white  people,  a  warm  contention  ensued  between 
them,  and  many  of  the  whites  were  killed.  Colonel  Gan- 
sevort,  the  commander  of  the  fort,  sent  out  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Willet,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  who  brave 
ly  routed  the  Indians  and  tories,  destroyed  their  provisions, 
and  took  their  kettles,  blankets,  muskets,  tomahawks,  deer 
skins,  &c.  with  five  colours,  and  returned  to  the  fort.  The 
brave  General  Herkimer  soon  died  of  his  wounds,  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  of  his  militia  men,  having  fought  like 
lions,  were  killed,  besides  a  great  number  wounded.  St. 
Leger's  victory  over  our  militia  was  purchased  at  a  dear 
price,  more  than  seventy  of  his  Indians  were  slain,  and 
among  them  a  large  proportion  of  their  most  distinguished 
and  favourite  warriors,  and  the  survivors  were  exceedingly 


190  APPENDIX. 

dissatisfied.  The  object  of  the  expedition  was  far  from  be 
ing  accomplished ;  the  commander  did  not,  however,  despair 
of  getting  possession  of  the  fort;  for  this  purpose  he  sent 
in  a  flag,  demanding  a  surrender.  He  greatly  magnified 
his  own  strength,  asserted  that  Burgoyne  was  at  Albany; 
and  threatened  that,  on  refusal,  his  Indians  would  destroy 
all  the  inhabitants  in  the  vicinity;  and  so  soon  as  they 
could  enter  the  fort,  every  man  would  be  sacrificed.  Colo 
nel  Gransevort  nobly  replied  in  the  negative,  being  deter 
mined  to  defend  the  fort  at  every  hazard ;  aware,  however, 
of  his  perilous  situation,  he  found  means  of  sending  to 
General  Schuyler  at  Still  water  for  assistance.  General 
Arnold  was  now  despatched  with  a  brigade  of  troops  to 
attack  the  besiegers;  but,  finding  their  force  greatly  supe 
rior  to  his  own,  he  sent  back  for  a  reinforcement  of  one 
thousand  light  troops. 

An  object  which  cannot  be  accomplished  by  force  is 
often  obtained  by  means  of  stratagem.  Lieutenant  Colonel 
John  Brook*?,  an  intelligent  officer  from  Massachusetts, 
being  in  advance  with  a  small  detachment,  found  one  Ma 
jor  Butler,  a  noted  officer  among  the  Indians,  endeavoring 
to  influence  the  inhabitants  in  their  favour,  and  he  was 
immediately  secured.  A  man  also  by  the  name  of  Cuyler, 
who  was  proprietor  of  a  handsome  estate  in  the  vicinity, 
was  taken  up  as  a  spy.  Colonel  Brooks  proposed  that  he 
should  be  employed  as  a  deceptive  messenger  to  spread 
the  alarm,  and  induce  the  enemy  to  retreat.  General  Ar 
nold  soon  after  arrived,  and  approved  the  scheme  of  Colonel 
Brooks;  it  was  accordingly  agreed  that  Cuyler  should  be 
liberated,  and  his  estate  secured  to  him  on  the  condition  ? 
that  he  would  return  to  the  enemy,  and  make  such  exagge 
rated  report  of  General  Arnold's  force  as  to  alarm  and  put 
them  to  flight.  Several  friendly  Indians  being  present, 


APPENDIX.  191 

one  of  their  head  men  advised  that  Cuyler's  coat  should  be 
shot  through  in  two  or  three  places,  to  add  credibility  to  his 
story.  Matters  being  thus  adjusted,  the  impostor  proceeded 
directly  to  the  Indian  camp,  where  he  was  well  known,  and 
informed  their  warriors  that  Major  Butler  was  taken,  and 
that  himself  narrowly  escaped,  several  shot  having  passed 
through  his  coat,  and  that  General  Arnold  with  a  vast 
force  was  advancing  rapidly  towards  them.  In  aid  of  the 
project,  a  friendly  Indian  followed  arid  arrived  about  an 
hour  after,  with  a  confirmation  of  Cuyler's  report.  This 
stratagem  was  successful ;  the  Indians  instantly  determined 
to  quit  their  ground,  and  make  their  escape,  nor  was  it  in 
the  power  of  St.  Leger  and  Sir  John  with  all  their  art  of 
persuasion,  to  prevent  it.  When  St.  Leger  remonstrated 
with  them,  the  reply  of  the  chiefs  was,  "When  we  marched 
down,  you  told  us  there  would  be  no  fighting  for  us  Indians, 
wemight  go  down  and  smoke  our  pipes;  but  now  a  number 
of  our  warriors  have  been  killed,  and  you  mean  to  sacrifice 
us."  The  consequence  was,  that  St.  Leger,  finding  him 
self  deserted  by  his  Indians,  to  the  nubmer  of  seven  or  eight 
hundred,  deemed  his  situation  so  hazardous,  that  he  decamp 
ed  in  the  greatest  hurry  and  confusion,  leaving  his  tents, 
with  most  of  his  artillery  and  stores,  in  the  field.  General 
Arnold,  with  his  detachment,  was  now  at  liberty  to  return 
to  the  main  army  at  Still  water;  and  thus  have  we  clipped 
the  right  wing  of  General  Burgoyne.  In  the  evening,  while 
on  their  retreat,  St.  Leger  and  Sir  John  got  into  a  warm 
altercation,  criminating  each  other  for  the  ill  success  of 
the  expedition.  Two  Sachems  observing  this,  resolved  to 
have  a  laugh  at  their  expense,  In  their  front  was  a  bog  of 
clay  and  mud ;  they  directed  a  young  warrior  to  loiter  in 
the  rear,  and  then,  of  a  sudden,  run  as  if  alarmed,  calling 
out,  they  are  coming,  they  are  coming.  On  hearing  this. 


192  APPENDIX. 

the  two  commanders  in  a  fright  took  to  their  heels,  rushing 
into  the  bog,  frequently  falling  and  sticking  in  the  mud,  and 
the  men  threw  away  their  packs,  and  hurried  off.  This 
and  other  jokes,  were  several  times  repeated  during  the 
night  for  many  miles." — Thacher's  Journal. 

(7)  On  the  16th  of  August,  1777,  the  Americans  under 
General  Stark,  defeated  the  British  and  Indians,  under 
Lieutenant  Colonels  Baum  andBreyman,  at  Bermington,  Vt. 
Stark  divided  his  troops  into  three  divisions,  and  ordered 
Col.  Nichols,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  to  gain  the 
rear  of  the  left  wing  of  the  enemy,  who  was  secured  by 
entrenchments.  At-the  same  time,  Col.  Hendrick  made  a 
similar  movement  on  the  enemy's  right  wing,  while  Stark 
attacked  them  in  front.  The  Indians,  alarmed  at  the  ap 
pear  of  ance  being  surrounded,  endeavored  to  make  their  es 
cape  in  a  single  file  between  the  two  parties,  with  their  horrid 
yells  and  the  gingling  of  cow  bells.  The  flanking  parties 
approached  each  other  in  their  rear,  and  General  Stark 
making  a  bold  and  furious  onset  in  front,  a  general  and 
close  conflict  ensued,  and  continued  with  more  or  less  se 
verity  for  about  two  hours.  Though  Colonel  Baum  had 
nearly  twice  their  numbers,  and  was  defended  by  breast 
works,  the  force  opposed  to  them  proved  irresistible,  for 
cing  their  breastworks  at  the  muzzles  of  their  guns,  and 
obliging  them  to  ground  their  arms  and  surrender  at  dis 
cretion,  so  that  the  victory  on  our  part  was  complete.  We 
took  two  pieces  of  brass  cannon,  and  a  number  of  prison, 
ers,  with  baggage,  &c.  This  was  no  sooner  accomplished, 
than  Colonel  Breyman,  with  one  thousand  German  troops, 
arrived  with  two  field  pieces,  to  reinforce  Colonel  Baum, 
who  had  just  been  defeated.  General  Stark's  troops  were 
now  scattered,  some  attending  the  wounded,  some  guarding 
the  prisoners,  and  still  more  in  pursuit  of  plunder,-  and  all 


APPENDIX.  193 

exhausted  by  extreme  hunger  and  fatigue.  At  this  criti 
cal  moment,  Colonel  Warner's  regiment  arrived,  and  the 
other  troops  being  rallied,  the  whole  were  ordered  to  ad 
vance.  A  field  piece  had  been  taken  from  Baum  in  the 
forenoon,  and  Stark  ordered  it  to  be  drawn  to  the  scene  of 
action ;  but  his  men,  having  never  seen  a  cannon,  knew 
not  how  to  load  it,  the  General  dismounted,  and  taught 
them  by  loading  it  himself.  An  action  soon  commenced, 
and  proved  warm  and  desperate,  in  which  both  sides  dis 
played  the  most  daring  bravery,  till  night  approached, 
when  the  enemy  yielded  a  second  time  in  one  day,  to  their 
Yankee  conquerors.  The  German  troops  being  totally 
routed,  availed  themselves  of  the  darkness  of  night  to 
effect  their  retreat.  The  whole  number  of  killed,  woun 
ded,  and  prisoners,  was  nine  hundred  and  thirty-four,  in 
cluding  one  hundred  and  fifty- seven  toriesj  of  this  number, 
six  hundred  and  fifty-four  are  prisoners.  Colonel  Baum 
received  a  mortal  wound,  of  which  he  soon  after  died. 
Besides  the  above,  one  thonsand  stand  of  arms,  four  brass 
field  pieces,  two  hundred  and  fifty  dragoon  swords,  eight 
loads  of  baggage,  and  twenty  horses,  fell  into  our  hands. 
The  loss  on  our  side,  is  not  more  than  one  hundred  in  the 
whole.  The  officers  and  men  engaged  in  this  splendid  en 
terprise  merit  all  the  praise  which  a  grateful  country  can 
bestow;  they  fought  disciplined  troops,  completely  accou 
tred,  while  they  wielded  their  ordinary  firelocks  with  scarce 
a  bayonet,  and  at  first  without  cannon.  The  consequences 
must  be  most  auspicious  as  respects  our  affairs  in  the  nor 
them  department.  Burgoyne  must  feel  the  clipping  of 
another  wing,  and  it  must  diminish  his  confidence  in  his 
successful  career.  The  event  will  also  be  productive  of 
the  happiest  effects  on  the  spirits  of  our  militia,  by  in 
creasing  their  confidence  in  their  own  prowess.  The  fol- 
17 


194  APPENDIX. 

lowing  anecdote  deserves  to  be  noticed  for  the  honour  of 
the  person  who  is  the  subject  of  it,  though  his  name  has 
not  been  ascertained.  A  venerable  old  man  had  five  sons 
in  the  field  of  battle  near  Bennington;  and  being  told  that 
he  had  been  unfortunate  in  one  of  his  sons,  replied,  'What, 
has  he  misbehaved,  did  he  desert  his  post,  or  shrink  from 
the  charge  ?'  'No  sir,'  says  the  informant,  'worse  than  that : 
he  is  among  the  slain;  he  fell  contending  mightily  in  the 
cause.'  'Then  I  am  satisfied,'  replied  the  good  old  man : 
'bring  him  in,  and  lay  him  before  me,  that  I  may  behold 
and  survey  the  darling  of  my  soul.'  On  which,  the  corpse 
was  brought  in,  and  laid  before  him.  He  then  called  for  a 
bowl  of  water  and  a  napkin,  and  with  his  own  hands  wash 
ed  the  gore  and  dirt  from  his  son's  corpse,  and  wiped  his 
gaping  wounds,  with  a  complacency,  as  he  himself  expres 
sed  it,  which  before  he  had  never  felt  or  experienced."-— 
Thacher's  Journal. 

(8)  On  the   18th'  of  September,  the  Americans,  under 
Colonel  Brown,  attacked  and  defeated  the  British,  on  the 
north  end  of  Lake  George,  and  Ticonderoga.     They  took 
two  hundred  ninety-three  prisoners,  released   one  hundred 
Americans,  and  retook  the  continental  standard  left  there 
on  its  evacuation,  July  6,  1777. 

(9)  The  American  army  under  the  command  of  General 
Gates,  in  the  vicinity  of  Stillwater,  in  the  county  of  Sara 
toga,  state  of  New- York,  attacked  the  enemy,  under  Gen 
eral  Burgoyne,  on  the  19th  of  September,  1777.     At  about 
three  o'clock,  both  armies  being  formed  in  a  line  of  battle, 
the  action  became   general,  and  the  combatants  on  both 
sides  evinced  that  ardour  and  gallantry  which  shows  a  de 
termination  to  conquer  or  die.     The  firing  for  about  three 
hours  was  incessant,   with  continued  tremendous  roar  and 
blaze,  filling  the  field  with  carnage  and  death.     Few  battles 


APPENDIX.  195 

have  been  more  obstinate  and  unyielding-  at  one  point  the 
British  are  overpowered ;  but,  being  reinforced,  the  Ameri 
cans  are  baffled ;  these,  being  supported,  and  renewing  their 
efforts,  regain  their  advantages;  the  same  ground  is  occu 
pied  alternately,  the  dead  and  wounded  of*  both  parties  are 
mingled  together.  The  British  resort  repeatedly  to  their 
bayonets  without  effect — the  Americans  resist  and  foil  their 
attempts.  Captain  Jones,  of  the  British  artillery,  had  the 
command  of  four  pieces  of  cannon,  which  he  conducted 
with  great  skill  and  valour  till  he  fell,  and  thirty-six  out 
of  forty-eight  of  his  artillery-men  were  killed  or  wounded; 
his  cannon  were  repeatedly  taken  and  re-taken,  but  finally 
remained  with  the  enemy  for  the  want  of  horses  to  bring 
them  off.  During  the  engagement,  a  number  of  our  soldiers 
placed  themselves  in  the  boughs  of  high  trees,  in  the  rear 
and  flanks,  and  took  every  opportunity  of  destroying  the 
British  officers  by  single  shot:  in  one  instance,  General 
Burgoyne  was  the  object,  but  the  aid-de-camp  of  General 
Phillips  received  the  ball  through  his  arm,  while  delivering 
a  message  to  Burgoyne;  the  mistake,  it  is  said,  was  occa 
sioned  by  having  his  saddle  furnished  with  rich  lace,  and 
was  supposed,  by  the  marksman  to  be  the  British  comman 
der.  In  the  dusk  of  evening  the  battle  terminated,  the 
British  in  one  quarter  silently  retreating,  the  Americans 
in  another  give  way,  and  quit  the  long-contested  field. 
Lieutenant  Colonel  Brooks,  with  the  eighth  Massachusetts 
regiment,  remained  in  the  field  till  about  eleven  o'clock,  and 
was  the  last  who  retired.  Major  Hull  commanded  a  de 
tachment  of  three  hundred  men,  who  fought  with  such  sig 
nal  ardour,  that  more  than  half. of  them  were  killed  or 
wounded.  The  whole  number  of  Americans  engaged  in 
this  action,  was  about  two  thousand  five  hundred;  the  re- 
jjiainder  of  the  army,  from  its  unfavourable  situation,  took 


196  APPENDIX. 

little  or  no  part  in  the  action.  The  British  have  suffered  a 
loss,  as  is  supposed,  of  more  than  five  hundred  in  killed, 
wounded,  and  prisoners.  On  the  side  of  the  Americans 
sixty-four  were  killed,  two  hundred  and  seventeen  wounded, 
and  thirty-eight  missing.  Among  the  killed,  are  Colonels 
Adams  and  Colburn,  two  valuable  officers  much  regretted. 
The  victory  on  this  important  occasion  is  claimed  by  the 
enemy,  but  the  advantages  are  most  decidedly  on  the  side 
of  the  Americans:  they  were  the  assailants — they  held 
their  ground  during  the  day — and,  at  the  close,  retired  to 
their  encampment  without  being  pursued.  The  royal  army 
lay  all  the  ensuing  night  on  their  arms  at  some  distance  from 
the  field  of  battle."—  Thacher^s  Journal 

(10)  "The  Americans  had  erected  several  forts  and  re 
doubts  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware  river,  and  on  Mud 
Island,  to  guard  against  the  passage  of  the  British  fleet  up 
this  river  to  Philadelphia.  In  one  of  these  forts  at  Red 
Bank,  Colonel  Greene,  of  Rhode  Island,  was  posted  with 
about  four  hundred  men.  General  Howe,  perceiving  the 
great  importance  of  reducing  these  works,  detached  Count 
Donop,  an  officer  held  in  high  estimation  in  the  royal  army, 
with  twelve  or  fifteen  hundred  Hessian  troops,  well  supplied 
with  artillery,  to  take  possession  of  it.  Having  arrived 
near  the  redoubts,  he  summoned  the  commander  to  surren 
der,  to  which  he  resolutely  replied,  he  would  defend  the 
place  to  the  last  extremity.  This  fort  being  originally  con 
structed  on  a  large  scale,  it  was  found  necessary  to  run  a 
line  across  the  middle,  and  divide  it  into  two,  so  that  the 
external  part  was  left  without  defence.  The  Hessian  com 
mander  ordered  his  troops  to  advance  under  cover  of  the 
smoke  of  his  cannon,  and  storm  the  redoubt;  they  soon 
gained  the  unoccupied  part  with  loud  huzzas  on  their  sup 
posed  victory;  but  on  approaching  the  new  lines  within, 


APPENDIX.  197 

where  our  troops  were  stationed,  the  brave  garrison  poured 
on  them  such  hot  and  well-directed  fire  for  about  forty 
minutes,  that  they  were  completely  overpowered,  and  fled 
in  every  direction.  Colonel  Donop,  their  commander,  was 
mortally  wounded  and  taken,  and  more  than  one  hundred 
were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  a  greater  number  wounded 
and  prisoners.  The  enemy  retreated  with  great  precipita 
tion,  leaving  many  of  their  wounded  on  the  road,  and  re 
turned  to  Philadelphia  with  the  loss  of  one  half  their  party. 
Colonel  Greene,  and  his  brave  troops,  acquired  great  hon 
our  for  their  gallant  defence  of  the  fort,  which  is  a  key  to 
other  posts  on  the  river.  Congress  have  rewarded  the 
Colonel,  \vith  an  elegant  sword.  The  British  army  found 
it  difficult  to  procure  the  necessary  supplies  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  continental  galleys  and  strong  chevaux  de  frize 
in  the  Delaware,  rendered  a  passage  of  their  ships  up  to 
the  city  almost  impossible.  Admiral  Lord  Howe  deter 
mined  to  attempt  the  removal  of  these  formidable  obstruc 
tions,  and  he  ordered  six  of  his  ships  to  engage  in  this  ser 
vice.  They  were  so  unmercifully  handled  by  our  galleys, 
and  from  Fort  Mifflin,  at  Mud  Island,  that  two  of  them,  one 
of  sixty -four  guns,  run  aground,  and  were  set  on  fire  by 
the  crews  who  deserted  them,  and  soon  after  they  blew 
up." — Thacher's  Journal. 

(11)  After  the  battle  of  Stillwater,the  situation  of  Gen 
eral  Burgoyne  became  very  precarious.  J*  is  Indian  auxil 
iaries  deserted  daily;  and  his  army,  ^duced  to  little  more 
than  five  thousand  men,  was  limited  to  half  their  usual 
allowance  of  provisions.  His  *wck  of  forage  was  entirely 
exhausted,  and  his  horses  w-re  perishing  in  great  numbers. 
The  American  army  had  Become  so  augmented,  as  to  ren 
der  him  diffident  of  r«aking  good  his  retreat.  To  aggra 
vate  his  distress,  no  intelligence  had  yet  been  received  of 
17* 


108  APPENDIX. 

the  approach  of  General  Clinton,  or  of  any   diversion  in 
his  favor  from  New- York. 

In  this  exigency,  General  Burgoyne  resolved  to  examine 
the  possibility  of  dislodging  the  Americans  from  their  posts 
on  the  left,  by  which  means  he  would  be  enabled  to  retreat 
to  the  lakes.  For  this  purpose  he  drew  out  fifteen  hundred 
men,  which  he  headed  himself,  attended  by  Generals  Phil 
lips,  Reidesel,  and  Frazer*  This  detachment  had  scarcely 
formed,  within  less  than  half  a  mile  of  the  American  in- 
trenchments,  when  a  furious  attack  was  made  on  its  left; 
but  Major  Ackland,  at  the  head  of  the  British  grenadiers, 
sustained  it  with  great  firmness.  The  Americans  soon  ex 
tended  their  attack  along  the  whole  front  of  the  German 
troops,  which  were  posted  on  the  right  of  the  grenadiers ; 
and  inarched  a  body  around  their  flank  to  prevent  their  re 
treat.  On  this  movement,  the  British  light  infantry,  with 
a  part  of  the  twenty-fourth  regiment,  instantly  formed,  to 
cover  the  retreat  of  the  troops  into  the  camp.  Their  left 
wing,  in  the  mean  time,  overpowered  with  numbers,  was 
obliged  to  retreat,  and  would  inevitably  have  been  cut  to 
pieces,  but  for  the  intervention  of  the  same  troops,  which 
had  just  been  covering  the  retreat  on  the  right.  The 
whole  detachment  was  now  under  the  necessity  of  retiring,- 
but  scarcely  had  the  British  troops  entered  the  lines,  when 
the  Americans,  led  by  General  Arnold,  pressed  forward, 
and,  under  a  tremendous  fire  of  grape  shot  and  musketry, 
assaulted  the  works  shroughout  their  whole  extent  from 
right  to  left.  Toward  tlu  close  of  the  day,  a  part  of  the 
left  of  the  Americans  force*  the  intrenchments,  and  Ar 
nold  with  a  few  men  actually  entered  the  works;  but  his 
horse  being  killed,  and  he  himseK  badly  wounded  in  the 
leg,  they  were  forced  out  of  them,  and  it  being  now  nearly 
dark,  they  desisted  from  the  attack.  On  the  left  of  Arnold's 


APPENDIX.  199 

detachment,  Jackson's  regiment  of  Massachusetts,  then  led 
by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Brooks,  was  still  more  successful. 
It  turned  the  right  of  the  encampment,  and  carried  by  storm 
the  works,  occupied  by  the  German  reserve.  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Breyman  was  killed;  and  Brooks  maintained  the 
ground  he  had  gained.  Darkness  put  an  end  to  the  action. 
The  advantage  of  the  Americans  was  decisive.  They 
killed  a  great  number  of  the  enemy;  made  upward  of  two 
hundrad  prisoners,  among  whom  were  several  officers  of 
distinction;  toon:  nine  pieces  of  brass  artillery,  and  the 
encampment  of  a  German  brigade,  with  all  their  equipage. 
Among  the  slain  of  the  enemy  was  General  Frazer,  an  offi 
cer  of  distinguished  merit,  whose  loss  was  particularly 
regretted.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  was  inconsiderable. 

Gates  posted  fourteen  hundred  men  on  the  heights  oppo 
site  the  ford  of  Saratoga;  two  thousand  in  the  rear,  to 
prevent  a  retreat  to  Fort  Edward ;  and  fifteeen  hundred  at 
a  ford  higher  up.  Burgoyne,  apprehensive  of  being  hemmed 
in,  retired  immediately  to  Saratoga. 

An  attempt  was  now  made  to  retreat  to  Fort  George. 
Artificers  were  accordingly  despatched,  under  a  strong 
escort,  to  repair  the  bridges,  and  open  the  road  to  Fort 
Edward ;  but  they  were  compelled  to  make  a  precipitate 
retreat.  The  situation  of  General  Burgoyne  becoming 
every  hour  more  hazardous,  he  resolved  to  attempt  a  retreat 
by  night  to  Fort  Edward ;  but  even  this  retrograde  movement 
was  rendered  impracticable.  While  the  army  was  pre 
paring  to  march,  intelligence  was  received,  that  the  Amer 
icans  had  already  possessed  themselves  of  Fort  Edward, 
and  that  they  were  well  provided  with  artillery.  No  avenue 
to  escape  now  appeared.  Incessant  toil  had  worn  down 
the  whole  British  army,  which  did  not  now  contain  more 
than  three  thousand  five  hundred  fighting  men.  Provisions 


200  APPENDIX . 

were  almost  exhausted,  and  there  was  no  possible  means  of 
procuring  a  supply.  The  American  army,  which  was 
daily  increasing,  was  already  much  greater  than  the 
British  in  point  of  numbers,  and  almost  encircled  them. 
In  this  extremity,  the  British  General  called  a  council  of 
war;  and  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  enter  into  a  con 
vention  with  General  Gates.  Preliminaries  were  soon 
settled,  and  the  royal  army  surrendered  prisoners  of  war. 

The  capture  of  an  entire  army  was  justly  viewed  as  an 
event  that  must  essentially  affect  the  contest  between  Great 
Britain  and  America;  and  while  it  excited  the  highest  joy 
among  the  people,  it  could  not  but  have  a  most  auspicious 
influence  in  the  cabinet  and  in  the  field.  The  thanks  of 
Congress  were  voted  to  General  Gates  and  his  army;  and 
a  medal  of  gold,  in  commemoration  of  this  splendid  achieve 
ment,  was  ordered  to  be  struck,  to  be  presented  to  him  by 
the  president,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States." — Holmes' 
American  Annals. 

(12)  a  General  Washington  having  ascertained  that  it 
was  the  great  object  of  Sir  William  Howe  to  possess  him 
self  of  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  put  in  requisition  every 
effort  in  his  power  to  counteract  his  measures  for  this  pur 
pose.  His  force  during  the  whole  campaign  was  consid 
erably  inferior  to  that  of  the  enemy.  Battles  and  skir 
mishing  of  more  or  less  importance  were  frequent,  but  not 
decisive,  though  attended  with  no  inconsiderable  loss  of 
human  lives.  On  the  llth  of  September,  the  two  armies 
approached  each  other  in  the  order  of  battle,  and  a  general 
action  took  place  at  Brandywine,  in  which  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  both  armies  displayed  a  spirit  of  intrepidity  and 
heroism,  scarcely  ever  exceeded.  The  British  claim  the 
victory;  but  it  was  only  a  partial  one,  and  besides  a  pro 
digious  sacrifice  of  lives,  they  failed  in  their  main  object, 


APPENDIX,  201 

that  of  forcing  their  way  to  Philadelphia.  It  is  stated 
that,  from  particular  circumstances,  little  more  than  one 
half  of  General  Washington's  force  was  opposed  to  nearly 
the  whole  strength  of  the  enemy.  Our  loss  is  mentioned 
in  round  "numbers  atone  thousand.  The  Marquis  de  La 
fayette,  and  General  Woodford  were  slightly  wounded. — 
The  loss  of  the  royalists,  according  to  accounts  published, 
greatly  exceeds  that  of  the  Americans." — Thacher's  Jour. 

(13)  On  the  21st  of  September,  the  British,  under  Gen. 
Gray,  surprised  the  American  General  Wayne,  about  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  at  Paoli.     Of  the  Americans,  about 
three   hundred   were  killed  or  wounded  with  the  bayonet, 
and  about   seventy  or  eighty   prisoners  taken,  including 
several  officers. 

(14)  Colonel   Warner  commanded   the   rear   guard   of 
General  St.   Clair,  consisting  of  twelve  hundred  men,  on 
their  march  from  Ticonderoga  to  Hubbardstown,  in  Ver 
mont.      They  were  pursued  by  a  detachment  from  Bur- 
goyne's  army,  under  General  Frazer,  who  overtook  them 
near  Hubbardstown,  where  a  close  and  severe  engagement 
took  place,    in  which  the  brave   Colonel  Francis  fell,  with 
other  valuable  American    officers.      American   loss,   324 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.      British   loss,  133  killed 
and   wounded. 

(15)  Fort  Stanwix,  since  called   Fort   Schuyler,   was, 
early  in  August,  invested  by  a  body  of  Britons,  Canadians, 
tories,  and   Indians,  and  Herkimer  was  on  his  march  to 
disperse  them.     See  Note  (6)  Chapter  XII. 

(16)  «  On  the  26th  of  April,  1777,  the  notorious  Tryon, 
at  the  head  of  two  thousand  tories  and  refugees,  marched 
to  Danbury  in  the  state  of  Connecticut,  where  they  burnt 
eighteen  houses  with  their  contents,  and  a  very  valuable 
quantity  of  stores,  provisions,  and  1790  tents.     This  wa.o- 


202  APPENDIX. 

ton  devastation  alarmed  the  country,  and  the  militiajcol- 
lected  under  Major  General  Wooster,  assisted  by  Arnold 
and  Silliman.  A  smart  action  soon  ensued,  and  continued 
about  one  hour,  in  which  our  militia  and  a  small  number 
of  continentals  conducted  with  distinguished  bravery,  but 
being  overpowered  by  a  superior  force,  they  were  obliged 
to  retreat.  The  amount  of  stores  destroyed  by  the  enemy 
was  very  considerable,  but  the  loss  of  valuable  officers  and 
men  is  infinitely  more  important.  General  Wooster  was 
mortally  wounded,  and  died  soon  after.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Gould  and  four  or  five  other  officers  were  killed, 
and  about  sixty  men  were  killed  or  wounded.  Among 
the  slain  is  Dr.  Atwater,  a  respectable  character,  whose 
death  is  greatly  lamented.  General  Arnold  had  his 
horse  shot  under  him  when  within  ten  yards  of  the  enemy, 
and  a  soldier  was  advancing  with  fixed  bayonet  towards 
him,  when,  with  great  presence  of  mind,  he  drew  his  pistol 
from  his  holsters,  and  instantly  shot  him  through  the  body. 
On  the  side  of  the  royalists,  the  loss,  as  stated  by  General 
Howe,  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-two  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing,  but  by  other  accounts  it  is  much  more  con 
siderable.  Among  their  wounded  is  Brigadier  General 
Agnew,  and  two  other  field  officers." — Thacher'e  Journal. 
(17)  "On  the  6th  of  October,  1777,  the  British,  under 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  General  Vaughan,  succeeded  in  an 
assault  on  Forts  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Hudson,  a  few  miles  below  West  Point. — 
These  fortresses  were  defended  by  Governor  George  Clin 
ton,  and  his  brother,  General  James  Clinton,  of  New-York, 
having  about  six  hundred  militia-men,  a  force  greatly  inad 
equate  to  the  defence  of  the  works.  The  enemy  came  up 
the  river,  landed,  and  appeared  unexpectedly,  arid  deman 
ded  a  surrender  of  the  forts,  which  being  resolutely  refused, 
were  taken  by  assault,  though  not  without  a  firm  and  brave 


APPENDIX,  203 

resistance.  General  James  Clinton  received  a  bayonet 
Wound  in  his  thigh,  but  he  and  the  Governor,  with  a  part  of 
the  garrison,  made  their  escape,  leaving  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  men  killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners.  The  enemy 
suffered  a  severe  loss  of  three  field  officers  killed,  and  their 
dead  and  wounded  is  estimated  at  about  three  hundred. 
General  Putnam,  who  commanded  at  Peekskill,  in  the 
vicinity,  having  a  small  force  only  to  guard  the  deposit  of 
stores,  was  obliged  to  retire,  and  the  barracks,  stores  and 
provisions,  to  a  very  considerable  amount,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  and  were  destroyed.  With  wanton 
pruelty  they  set  fire  to  the  houses  and  buildings  of  every 
description,  and  spread  ruin  and  devastation  to  the  extent 
of  their  power.  To  consummate  their  destructive  scheme, 
General  Vaughan  destoyed  by  conflagration,  the  beautiful 
town  of  Esopus,  with  the  church,  and  every  other  building 
it  contained.  Thus  we  experience  the  horrid  effects  of 
malice  and  revenge;  where  they  cannot  conquer,  they 
wantonly  exterminate  a»d  destroy.  They  are  well  ap 
prised  of  the  disastrous  and  desperate  situation  of  their 
boastful  General  Burgoyne,  and  if  they  dare  not  march  to 
his  relief,  they  can  cowardly  retaliate  by  conflagration  with 
impunity.  It  is  the  prevalent  opinion  here,  that  by  taking 
advantage  of  wind  and  tide,  it  is  in  the  power  of  Sir  Henry 
Clinton  to  convey  his  forces  to  this  city  within  the  space  of 
five  or  six  hours,  arid  having  arrived  here,  a  march  of 
about  twenty  miles  will  carry  him  without  opposition  to 
Stillwater,  which  must  involve  General  Gates  in  inexpres 
sible  embarrassment  arid  difficulty,  by  placing  him  between 
two  armies,  and  thereby  extricating  Burgoyne  from  his 
perilous  situation.  We  have  been  tremblingly  alive  to  this 
menacing  prospect,  but  our  fears  are  in  a  measure  allayed 
by  the  following  singular  incident. — After  the  capture  of 


204  APPENDIX. 

Fort  Montgomery,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  despatched  a  mes 
senger  by  the  name  of  Daniel  Taylor,  to  Burgoyne  with 
the  intelligence;  fortunately  he  was  taken  on  his  way  as  a 
spy,  and,  finding  himself  in  danger,  he  was  seen  to  turn 
aside  and  take  something  from  his  pocket  and  swallow  it. 
General  George  Clinton,  into  whose  hands  he  had  fallen, 
ordered  a  severe  dose  of  emetic  tartar  to  be  administered: 
this  produced  the  happiest  effect  as  respects  the  prescriber; 
but  it  proved  fatal  to  the  patient.  He  discharged  a  small 
silver  bullet,  which  being  unscrewed,  was  found  to  enclose 
a  letter  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  to  Burgoyne.  '  Out  of 
thine  own  mouth  thou  shalt  be  condemned.'  The  spy  was 
tried,  convicted,  and  executed.  The  following  is  an  exact 
copy  of  the  letter  enclosed. 

Fort  Montgomery,  October  Qth,  1777. 

Nous  voici — and  nothing  between  us  but  Gates.  1  sin 
cerely  hope  this  little  success  of  ours  may  facilitate  your 
operations.  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  Sep 
tember,  by  C.  C.,  I  shall  only  say,  I  cannot  presume  to 
order,  or  even  advise,  for  reasons  obvious.  I  heartily  wish 
you  success.  Faithfully  yonrs, 

H.  CLINTON. 

To  General  Burgoyne" — \Thacher1  s  Journal.] 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

(1)  The  robbery  of  Harvey  Birch  by  the   Skinners, 
bears  some  resemblance  to  this  affair. — See  Spy,   Vol.  i. 
page  156. 

(2)  In  this  affair,  the  enemy  left  four  officers  and  245 
men  dead  on  the  field  of  battle,  who  were  buried  by  the 
Americans;  they   also   left  four    officers  and    forty    men 
wounded.     Several  died  on  both  sides  from  the  excessive 
heat  of  the  weather,  it  being  the  28th  of  June,  and  the 
thermometer  at  96. 


APPENDIX.  205 

(3)  General  Wayne  took  Stony  Point,  by  assault,  on  the 
26th  July,  1779.      Lieutenant-colonel  Johnson,  comman 
dant,  and  five  hundred  and  forty-three  men  were  taken  pris 
oners.     The  enemy  lost  sixty-three  killed,  and  the  Amer 
icans  fifteen,  with  eighty-three  wounded,  thirty  of  them 
very  badly.       Wayne  was  wounded   in  the  head  with  a 
musket  ball. 

(4)  In   this  affair   the  enemy   lost   38  killed,  and  210 
wounded;  12  missing;  total  loss,  260.     The  American  loss 
was  much  less. 

(5)  On  the   19th  of  July,   1779,  Major  Lee  of  the  Vir 
ginia  cavalry,  surprised  the  enemy's  post  at  Powles'  Hook. 
Major  Sutherland,  who  commanded  the  fort,  with  a  number 
of  Hessians,  escaped;  thirty  of  the  garrison  were  killed, 
and  seven  officers  and   150  men  taken.      The  American 
loss  was  only  six  killed  and  wounded.     Lee,  according    to 
his  orders,  retreated  immediately.     A  large  British  force 
being  in  the  vicinity  prevented  his  destroying  the  barracks 
and  artillery.     Lee  was  a  man  of  chivalric  spirit  and  en 
terprise,  and  commanded  the  finest  corps  of  cavalry  that 
Washington  could  boast  of.     This  active  officer  and  amiable 
gentleman  distinguished  himself  on  many  occasions  during 
the    war,  and  is,  no   doubt,   the  "Major  Dunwoody"   of 
Cooper's  Spy. 

(6)  In  Cooper's  description  of  the  preparations  for  hang 
ing  a  Skinner,  by  a  leader  of  the  Refugees,  he  says,  the 
Skinner  "  had  so  often  resorted  to  a  similar  expedinet  to 
extort  information  or  plunder,  that  he  by  no  means  felt 
the  terror  an  unpractised  man  would  have  suffered,  at  these 
ominous  movements." — See  Spy,  Vol.  ii.  p.  254. 

(7)  The  present  debtor's  jail. 

(8)  This  bitter  satire,  the  reader  will  doubtless  recollect, 
was    directed   against  the    American    Brigadier  General 

18 


S06  APPENDIX. 

Wayne,  the  hero  of  Stony  Point:  whom  the  poet  accuses 
of  stealing  cattle  for  the  use  of  the  American  army.  The 
poem  concludes  with  the  following  prophetic  stanza: 

44  And  now  I  close  my  epic  strain, 

I  tremble  as  I  show  it, 
Lest  this  same  warrior-drover  Wayne 

Should  ever  catch  the  poet." 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

(1)  The  treason  of  Arnold,  and  the  consequent  capture 
and  execution  of  Major  Andre,  are  events  that  have  been 
widely  circulated  in  all  parts  of  the  world;  but  the  following 
extracts  from  the  "  Life  and  Correspondence  of  General 
Greene,"  contain  several  additional  facts  which  cannot  fail 
of  being  read  with  interest. 

"  It  was  when  Washington  was  on  his  march  to  Kings- 
bridge,  with  a  view  to  the  attempt  on  New-York,  and  when 
he  had  mustered  every  man  who  could  carry  a  musket,  that 
he  placed  Arnold  in  command  of  a  corps  of  invalids  at 
West  Point.  The  commander-in-chief  had  offered  him  a 
command  suitable  to  his  rank  and  reputation  in  the  army ; 
but  he  made  the  unhealed  state  of  his  wounds,  and  some 
other  causes,  the  pretext  for  declining  it ;  for  his  negotia 
tions  for  the  surrender  of  West  Point  had  already  com 
menced,  or  been  consummated ;  and  he  made  interest  to 
obtain  that  appointment. 

Greene  was  in  command  of  the  American  army,  at  the 
time  Arnold's  treachery  was  detected.  Soon  after  the  re- 
lihquishment  of  the  enterprise  against  New-York,  a  meet 
ing  was  concerted  to  take  place  between  the  American 
commander-in-chief,  and  the  French  military  and  naval 
commanders.  Hartford,  on  the  Connecticut  river,  was  the 
place  assigned  for  their  meeting,  and  its  object  was  to  con 
sult  on  their  future  joint  operations. 


APPENDIX.  207 

Upon  the  departure  of  Washington,  Greene  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  main  army.  This  was  on  the  17th  of 
September.  On  the  18th,  Admiral  Rodney  arrived  with 
such  an  overwhelming  reinforcement  to  the  British  navy, 
as  must  have  set  the  consultations  at  Hartford  all  at  nought. 
From  that  time,  Greene's  communications  to  the  president 
of  Congress  are  full  of  the  hurried  preparations  going  on 
at  New- York  for  some  important  enterprise.  Little  did  he 
or  any  other  suspect  to  what  point  that  enterprise  was 
directed.  It  appears  that  he  had  established  a  regular 
communication  for  obtaining- intelligence  from  the  city  by 
spies ;  and  his  correspondents  in  that  place  were  at  a  loss 
whether  the  expedition  was  intended  against  Rhode  Island 
or  Virginia.  To  one  or  the  other  of  those  places  the  enemy 
had  been  careful  to  throw  out  hints,  or  exhibit  appearances 
that  the  expedition  was  directed.  Yet  Greene  was  not 
deceived ;  for  in  a  letter  of  the  21st  to  General  Washington, 

he   writes,  "  Colonel communicated   the    last 

intelligence  we  have  from  New- York; .si nee  that  I  have  not 
been  able  to  obtain  the  least  information  of  what  is  going 
on  there,  though  we  have  people  in  from  three  different 
quarters.  None  of  them  returning,  makes  me  suspect 
some  secret  expedition  is  in  contemplation,  the  success  of 
which  depends  altogether  on  its  being  kept  a  secret.' 

This  letter  is  dated  at  Tappan,  for  to  that  place  he  had 
been  directed  by  General  Washington,  on  his  departure  for 
Hartford,  to  remove  a  division  of  the  army. 

On  the  23d,  the  whole  mystery  was  developed  by  the 
capture  of  Major  Andre.  He  had  ascended  the  river  in 
the  Vulture  sloop-of-war,  to  hold  a  personal  conference 
with  General  Arnold.  The  British  commander  had  be 
come  sensible  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost;  as  most  proba 
bly,  on  the  return  of  Washington  from  Hartford,  he  would 


208  APPENDIX. 

assumo  tin  command  in  person  at  West  Point,  or  confide  it 
to  Greene.  The  present,  therefore,  was  the  most  favourable 
time  that  would  ever  present  itself;  the  recent  movement 
of  the  army  nearer  that  place,  excited  to  despatch;  and  the 
arrival  of  Rodney  gave  the  enemy  the  command  of  such 
abundant  means  of  water  transportation,  without  exposing 
the  city  to  a  coup  de  main  from  the  French  and  American 
forces,  that  the  British  commander  would  have  been  cul 
pably  negligent,  not  to  have  embraced  it.  Andre  was 
accordingly  despatched  to  make  the  final  arrangements  for 
consummating  the  treachery  of  Arnold. 

The  well  known  object  of  Arnold's  negotiation  was  to 
put  Clinton  in  possession  of  the  post  at  West  Point.  This 
is  a  beautiful  little  plain,  lying  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Hudson,  a  little  below  where  it  breaks  through  the  chain  of 
mountains  called  the  Highlands.  Its  form  is  nearly  cir 
cular;  in  one  half  of  its  circumference  defended  by  a  preci 
pice  of  great  height,  rising  abruptly  from  the  river;  and 
on  the  other,  by  a  chain  of  rugged  impassable  mountains. 
It  is  accessible  by  one  pass  only  from  the  river,  and  that  is 
narrow  and  easily  defended;  while,  on  the  land  side,  it 
can  be  approached  only  at  two  points,  by  roads  that  wind 
through  the  mountains,  and  enter  it  at  the  river  bank,  on  the 
north  and  south. 

Great  importance  had  always  been  attached  to  this  post 
by. the  Americans,  and  great  labour  and  expense  bestowed 
upon  fortifying  it;  whether  judiciously  or  to  good  effect, 
has  never  been  tested,  But  the  place  is  naturally,  scarcely 
assailable,  very  healthy,  and  commands  the  river,  through 
out  a  long  circuit  that  it  stretches  round  the  point,  and  where 
it  is  deep  and  very  narrow. 

The  North  river  had  long  been  the  great  vein  that  sup 
plied  life  to  the  American  army;  and  had  the  enemy 


APPENDIX.  209 

obtained  possession  of  this  post,  besides  the  actual  loss  in 
men  and  stores,  the  American  army  would  have  been  cut 
off  from  their  principal  resources  in  the  ensuing  winter,  or 
been  obliged  to  fall  back  above  the  Highlands,  and  leave 
all  the  country  below  open  to  conquest;  while  the  commu 
nication  between  the  eastern  and  western  states  would 
have  been  seriously  interrupted,  if  not  wholly  excluded. 

Arnold  well  knew  the  bearing  of  this  post  upon  all  the 
operations  of  the  American  army,  and  afterwards  avowed 
his  confident  expectation,  that  had  the  enemy  got  possession 
of  it,  the  contest  must  have  ceased,  and  America  been  sub 
dued.  Clinton,  it  appears,  also  well  understood  the  value 
of  this  place;  and  it  is  probable,  that  the  purchase  of  it 
had  been  arranged  with  Arnold  some  months  prior  to  the 
detection  of  the  plot,  [t  was  well  remembered,  afterwards, 
that  he  had  intrigued  for  some  time  to  get  appointed  to  the 
command,  not  only  in  person,  but  through  the  agency  of  his 
friends  in  congress  and  the  army;  and  the  activity  which  he 
displayed  in  making  his  escape,  and  afterwards,  as  a  com 
mander  under  Clinton,  support  the  belief  that  the  pain  and 
weakness  from  his  wounded  legs,  on  which  he  founded  his 
claims  to  a  command  suited  to  an  invalid,  were  in  a  great 
degree  affected.  fndeed,  in  one  of  his  publications  he 
acknowledges,  that  he  had  long  retained  his  commission 
only  to  find  some  opportunity  to  inflict  such  a  blow. 

The  development  of  Arnold's  plot  was  communicated  to 
Greene  by  a  letter  from  Colonel  Hamilton,  dated  Verplank's 
Point.  It  was  received  the  evening  of  the  25th.  The 
object  of  the  preparations  in  New- York  immediately  be 
came  palpable;  arid,  without  delayy  he  made  every  dispo- 
position  for  marching  to  the  defence  of  West  Point;  so  that 
when  General  Washington's  order  reached  him,  at  quarter 
past  three,  on  the  morning  of  the  26th,  the  whole  army  had 
already  been  put  under  marching  orders.  The  first  Penn- 
18* 


210  APPENDIX. 

sylvania  brigade  under  Wayne,  had  been  first  put  in  motion ; 
so  that  it  actually  fell  to  the. lot  of  Andre  to  find  the 
4 warrior-drover  Wayne'  in  command,  when  he  was  deliv 
ered  a  prisoner  at  the  village  of  Tappan.  But  Wayne  did 
not  sit  in  the  board  of  officers  who  tried  him;  perhaps  from 
considerations  of  delicacy  ;  there  may  have  remained  some 
thing  of  personal  irritation;  the  wounds  of  the  pen  last 
longer  than  those  of  the  sword. 

Jt  is  very  well  known  that  Major  Andre  was  taken  near 
a  place  called  Tarry  Town,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson, 
where  it  forms  Haverstraw  Bay.  Ten  years  afterwards, 
the  large  sycamore  near  which  ho  was  taken,  was  shown  to 
the  traveller;  and  the  incidents  at  his  capture  were  famil 
iarly  known  to,  and  related  by,  every  inhabitant  in  the 
village.  Paulding,  Williams,  and  Van  Wert,  who  captured 
him,  were  poor,  but  reputable  men,  and  exhibited  a  striking 
instance  of  disinterestedness  and  fidelity.  Andre  offered 
them  large  bribes,  but  they  weie  not  to  be  corrupted,  and 
conducted  him  a  prisoner  to  Colonel  Jamieson,  who  com 
manded  a  scouting  party  on  that  side  of  the  river. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  capture  of  Andre  are 
differently  related  by  the  different  authors  who  have  written 
on  the  American  war.  They  are  all  corract  as  far  as  they 
go;  but  being  deficient  in  a  few  particulars,  excited  sur 
prise  at  the  supposed  want  of  self-po?session  in  so  brave  a 
man'  as  Andre.  The  British  army  in  New- York  was,  at 
that  time,  supplied  with  beef,  principally  through  the  aid  of 
a  class  of  men,  who  obtained  the  appellation  of  Cowboys. 
They  were  a  species  of  suttlers,  or  dealers  in  live  stock, 
who  being  well  acquainted  with  the  roads  and  passes,  pen 
etrated  into  the  country,  and  either  stole  or  purchased 
cattle,  which  they  secretly  drove  into  the  enemy's  lines. 
Besides  watching  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  one  prin- 


APPENDIX.  211 

cipal  object  for  detaching  Jamieson  to  that  quarter  was,  to 
check  the  prosecution  of  this  trade  or  practice.  For  this 
purpose,  small  scouting  parties  were  occasionally  pushed 
beyond  the  American  posts,  to  reconnoitre  the  interjacent 
country  between  their  posts  and  those  of  the  enemy.  And 
as  the  cattle  taken  from  the  Cowboys,  unless  stolen,  were 
held  to  be  the  prize  of  war;  and  it  was  an  object  with  the 
well-affected  to  suppress  a  practice  wrhich  exposed  their 
stock  to  depredations,  small  volunteer  parties  occasionally 
waylaid  the  roads  for  that  purpose.  Of  this  description 
were  the  captors  of  Andre;  who,  after  the  fatigue  of  pros 
ecuting  their  enterprise,  had  seated  themselves  under  this 
tree,  in  a  situation  retired  from  the  view  of  travellers  ap 
proaching  along  the  road.  It  is  said  that  they  were 
engaged  in  a  game  at  cards,  when  the  tread  of  Andre's 
horse  attracted  their  notice. 

The  station  they  had  taken  was  in  view  of  a  point  where 
severaX roads  unite  near  the  village,  and  Andre,  who  was 
visiblelllto  the  party  before  they  were  visible  to  him,  was 
engaged  in  examining  a  sketch  of  the  route,  no  doubt  to 
determine  which  of  the  roads  in  his  view  he  ought  to  follow, 
At  the  first  rustling  of  the  leaves  made  by  the  motion  of  the 
party  in  ambush,  he  precipitately  thrust  the  paper  he  was 
examining  into  his  boot,  on  the  opposite  side  of  his  horse 
from  that  on  which  the  party  appeared.  This  was  noticed 
by  one  of  the  party,  and  led  to  the  examination  which  pro 
duced  the  detection.  On  being  stopped,  he  resumed  his 
composure,  and  exhibited  the  pass  from  Arnold,  on  which 
he  had  thus  far  succeeded  in  clearing  the  American  posts 
and  patrols;  and  the  party  had  already  released  his  bridle, 
when  one  of  them  inquired  what  he  had  done  with  the  pa 
per  he  was  reading?  An  indistinct  view  of  the  dangerous 
dilemma  in  which  the  question  involved  him,  produced  in 
Andre  a  momentary  hesitation;  his  embarrassment  was 
noticed  by  the  pariy,and  made  them  resolve  again  to  detain 
him.  Knowing  that  the  pass  from  Arnold  would  not  avail 
him  after  the  discovery  of  the  contents  of  his  boot,  Andre 
then  desired  them  to  tell  him  truly,  whether  they  were 
'from  above  or  below?1  and  on  their  answering  Hhe  latter,' 
which  was  consistent  with  the  truth  in  fact,  though  not  in 


212  APPENDIX. 

the  sense  he  meant  it,  which  was,  whether  they  were  whigs 
or  tories;  he  acknowledged  himself  to  be  a  British  officer 
on  urgent  business,  and  begged  them  not  to  detain  him. 
On  their  persisting  to  detain  him,  the  whole  extent  of  his 
danger  burst  upon  him,  and  he  liberally  tried  the  persua 
sive  voice  of  gold.  But  though  he  had  just  witnessed,  that 
one  in  a  much  more  elevated  rank  had  lent  a  propitious 
ear  to  similar  arguments,  he  found  these  honest  yeoman 
were  not  to  be  corrupted.  Until  then,  he  had  learned,  that 
it  is  at  last  in  the  integrity  of  the  well-informed  yeomanry 
of  a  country  that  the  strength  and  security  of  every  free 
government  is  to  be  found.  Wo  to  that  government  which 
ever  suffers  this  class  of  men  to  remain  in  ignorance,  or  be 
exposed  to  corruption ! 

Upon  searching  the  boot  into  which  the  paper  had  been 
thrust,  a  plan  of  West  Point,  the  strength  and  dispostion  of 
the  garrison,  and  other  suspicious  papers  were  discovered ; 
and  Andre  was  immediately  conveyed  to  the  head  quarters 
of  Col.  Jamieson.  By  this  time,  it  appears,  that  Andre 
had  completely  recovered  his  self-possession,  if,  indeed,  he 
had  ever  lost  it;  and  he  had  the  ingenuity  to  play  off  on 
Jamieson  a  ruse  de  guerre,  to  which  the  partiality  of  his 
friends,  and  the  feelings  of  his  admirers,  have  managed  to 
give  a  character  which  it  by  no  means  merits. 

He  prevailed  on  Jamieson  to  despatch  a  note  to  Arnold, 
informing  him  that  John  Anderson  (this  was  Andre's  as 
sumed  name)  was  taken.  This  has  been  construed  into  a 
magnanimous  effort  to  save  Arnold;  whereas  it  was  ob 
viously  an  ingenious  artifice  to  save  himself.  And  it  must 
have  succeeded,  had  not  the  former,  instead  of  taking  the 
hint  as  it  was  intended,  verified  by  his  conduct  the  trite 
adage,  'there  is  no  faith  among  the  dishonest,'  by  imme 
diately  transferring  all  his  attention  to  his  own  escape. 
Arnold  could  easily  have  despatched  an  order  to  Jamieson 
to  release  Andre,  or  have  adopted  some  fiction  or  plan  for 
getting  him  into  his  own  hands,  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
him  his  liberty,  and  thus  have  escaped  with  him.  Jamie- 
son  obviously  entertained  no  suspicion  of  Arnold,  by  send 
ing  him  this  message:  arid  by  the  time  that  elapsed  before 
he  forwarded  to  General  Washington  the  papers  found  upon 
Andre,  it  is  clear  that  he  waited-for  some  communication. 


APPENDIX.  213 

from  Arnold  with  regard  to  the  future  fate  of  John  An 
derson. 

It  is  curious  to  contemplate  the  good  fortune  of  this  in 
teresting  young  man,  in  the  favourable  views  which  writers 
of  both  nations,  indeed  all  who  have  ever  noticed  him,  have 
taken  of  his  conduct.  But  such  is  the  effect  of  excited 
feeling  upon  the  judgment  of  mankind,  or  perhaps,  such 
the  proclivity  of  man  to  follow  a  popular  leader,  and  to 
avoid  the  perplexity  of  reflection.  The  breathing  pen  of 
Colonel  Hamilton  was  generously  employed  in  describing 
the  magnanimity  with  which  Andre  met  death;  the  direc 
tion  once  given  to  public  opinion  has  been  followed,  'nothing- 
loth,'  and  every  subsequent  writer  has  vied  with  his  prede 
cessor  in  representing  Andre's  conduct  in  the  most  favora 
ble  colours.  The  stern  moralist,  who,  knowing  that  first 
to  pity,  then  to  palliate,  then  to  imitate,  is  too  often  the 
course  through  which  vice  and  error  steal  on  society,  pre 
sumes,  in  such  a  case  as  this,  to  exclaim,  'Pause  and  re 
flect;'  will  be  more  apt  to  incur  the  frowns,  than  the  plau 
dits  of  his  contemporaries.  But  there  is  a  time  of  life  when 
a  writer  may  no  longer  feel  the  undue  influence  of  popular 
applause. 

Andre  has  also  been  greatly  extolled  for  his  magnanimity 
in  communicating  to  General  Washington  his  real  name 
and  character,  by  the  express  which  conveyed  to  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  the  papers  found  upon  him.  But  what 
else  remained  for  him  to  do?  His  life  was  clearly  forfeited; 
and  in  the  character  of  John  Anderson,  he  must  have  suf 
fered,  'unpitied  and  unwept,'  the  summary  and  ignominious 
death  of  a  spy,  or  been  detected  as  Major  Andre,  with  a 
falsehold  on  his  lips.  His  only  chance  of  escape  was  to 
declare  his  real  character,  and  place  himself  under  the  pro 
tection  of  the  circumstances  under  which  he  alleges  that 
he  came  within  the  American  posts;  or  perhaps  to  interest 
the  feelings  or  the  fears  of  the  American  commander  in 
his  behalf.  His  letter  contains  one  passage  which  serves 
as  a  plain  development  of  his  motives  in  writing  it. — It 
was  to  save  his  own  life  by  exciting /ear  for  that  of  others. 
The  passage  alluded  to  is  the  following:'!  take  the  liberty 
to  mention  the  condition  of  some  gentlemen  at  Charleston, 


214  APPENDIX. 

who,  being  either  on  parole  or  under  protection,  were  enga 
ged  in  a  conspiracy  against  us:  though  their  situation  is 
not  similar,  they  are  objects  who  may  be  sent  in  exchange 
for  me,  or  persons  whom  the  treatment  I  receive  might 
effect,' 

It  »is  truly  astonishing,  that  the  ungenerous  character  of 
this  paragraph  has  never  been  properly  animadverted  upon. 
Who  these  'gentlemen  at  Charleston'  were,  is  afterwards 
more  explicitly  declared,  in  Arnold's  letter  to  General 
Washington,  of  the  1st  October:  CI  have  farther  to  observe, 
that  forty  of  the  principal  inhabitants  of  South  Carolina 
have  justly  forfeited  their  lives,  which  have  hitherto  been 
spared  by  the  clemency  of  his  excellency  Sir  Henry  Clin 
ton,  who  cannot  in  justice  extend  his  mercy  to  them  any 
longer,  if  Major  Andre  suffers,  which,  in  all  probability, 
will  open  a  scene  of  blood  at  which  humanity  will  revolt.' 

Thus  it  appears  that  Andre's  hint  was  greedily  caught  at 
by  Arnold ;  and  Sir  Henry  Clinton  himself,  in  his  commu 
nications,  very  plainly  hints  at  the  same  thing. 

Yet  nothing  could  have  been  more  base  and  dishonoura 
ble  than  the  atttempt  to  save  his  forfeited  life,  by  drawing 
down  ruin  upon  a  number  of  innocent  men,  who,  after 
bravely  resisting  the  enemy,  had  surrendered  on  terms  that 
had  been  most  dishonourably  evaded.  The  assertion  also 
contained  in  Andre's  letter,  that  the  prisoners  alluded  to 
had  engaged  in  a  conspiracy,  was  absolutely  destitute  of 
truth;  as  it  was  well  known,  that  every  individual  of  those 
prisoners  had,  from  the  first,  courted  and  defied  investigation ; 
and  their  existed  no  cause  for  their  confinement  at  St.  Au 
gustine,  to  which  place  they  had  been  removed,  but  the 
prevalence  of  an  opinion  that  their  influence  kept  others 
from  accepting  of  the  King's  protection,  the  illiberal  sug 
gestions  of  some  •  of  the  loyalists  who  could  not  bear  the 
reproachful  looks  of  those  whom  they  had  deserted,  and 
above  all,  the  convenience  of  retaining  such  respectable 
hostages  to  cover  such  men  as  Arnold  and  Andre. 

The  introductory  paragraph  also  to  Andre's  letter,  can 
not  be  dismissed  without  a  remark.  It  is  in  these  words: 

"What  I  have  as  yet  said  concerning  myself,  was  in  the 
justifiable  attempt  to  be  extricated.  I  am  too  litttle  accus- 


APPENDIX.  215 

tomed  to  duplicity  to  have  succeeded.  [That  is  to  say,  I 
have  hitherto  been  doing  what  no  man  who  sufficiently 
values  the  obligation  of  truth  would  do,  or  at  least,  expose 
himself  to  the  danger  of  being  obliged  to  do,  even  for  'the 
justifiable  attempt  to  be  extricated.']  I  have  hitherto -dealt 
out  nothing  but  falsehoods,-  but  for  want  of  practice,'  my 
firmness  fails  me." 

In  the  first  place,  this  paragraph  is  uncandid ;  for  if  his 
disguise  could  any  longer  have  availed  him,  he  would  have 
retained  it;  in  the  next  place,  there  is  no  small  cause  to 
believe,  that  this  was  not  the  first  time  in  which  Major  An 
dre  had  played  offthe  practical  falsehood  of  assuming  a  dis 
guise,  and  acting  the  spy. 

It  is  believed  by  many,  that  in  the  character  of  a  spy,  he 
had  been  greatly  instrumental  in  involving  in  captivity,  the 
very  men  whom  he  now  wished  to  involve  in  the  horrors  of 
retaliation. 

Let  political  expediency  disguise  it  as  it  may,  still  the 
character  of  a  soldier  cannot  be  blended  with  that  of  a  spy, 
without  soiling  the  pure  ermine  of  the  former.  And,  how 
ever  his  sovereign  may  applaud  and  reward  the  officer  who 
tempts  his  enemy  to  treachery,  there  is  something  so  foul  in 
the  constitution  of  the  crime,  that  we  cannot  look  upon  him 
who  seduces  another  to  the  commission  of  it,  but  as  the  in 
stigator  or  propagator  of  crime.  The  breath  of  treachery 
gives  a  taint  to  the  reputation  of  the  man  who  but  holds 
converse  with  it. 

Indeed,  there  appears  to  have  been  a  combined  attack 
upon  morals  made  by  all  the  particepes  criminis  in  this 
black  transaction.  One  can  hardly  read  with  patience  the 
letters  of  Clinton,  Robertson,  and  Arnold,  boldly  insisting 
that  Andre  was  not  punishable  as  a  spy,  because  he  came 
within  the  garrison  under  the  sanction  of  a  flag,  or  under 
the  protection  of  the  commander;  although  in  fact,  with 
that  commander  he  was  concerting  measures  to  get  pos 
session  of  the  post  where  that  officer  commanded ;  that  he 
was  himself  innocent,  because  he  had  prostituted  the  usual 
protection  of  innocent  and  honourable  purposes  to  the  per 
petration  of  the  basest  treachery.  And  to  complete  the 
ridicule  of  the  scene,  the  chief  justice  of  the  state  is 
brought  upon  the  carpet  to  support  this  holy  doctrine. 


216  APPEISHDIX. 

This  was  at  a  conference  which  was  held  by  appoint 
ment  at  King's  Ferry,  between  General  Robertson  and 
General  Greene,  on  the  subject  of  Andre's  treatment. 
Robertson  brought  with  him  from  New- York,  Chief  Jus 
tice  Smith  and  the  Lieutenant  Governor  to  support  him  in 
the  argument;  but  whether  it  was  that  the  man  of  the 
sword  was  afraid  to  encounter  the  man  of  the  gown  in  ar 
gument,  Greene  would  not  suffer  Smith  to  land,  and  the 
conference  resulted  in  nothing  but  mutual  confirmation  in 
pre-existing  opinions.  On  the  2d  of  October,  Andre  was 
executed  as  a  spy  on  a  gibbet,  at  the  village  of  Tappan, 
where  the  principal  part  of  the  army  was  then  encamped. 

As  his  case  was  one  of  many  novel  features,  and  threats 
of  retaliation  had  loudly  resounded,  General  Washington 
did  not  order  his  execution  summarily,  as  by  the  laws  of 
war  he  would  have  been  justified  to  do,  but  commanded 
a  beard  of  general  officers  to  be  convened,  and  submitted 
the  case  to  their  consideration. 

Greene  was  appointed  to  preside,  and  Colonel  John  Lau- 
rens  was  present  in  the  capacity  of  judge  advocate  general, 
which  station  he  held  in  the  army.  Lafayette  and  Steuben 
were  members  of  the  court;  and,  if  dignity,  worth,  and 
service  can  give  weight  to  the  decision  of  a  ceurt,  never 
was  one  constituted  more  worthy  to  be  respected.  There 
.were  in  it  six  Major  Generals  and  eight  Brigadiers.  They 
were  unanimously  of  opinion,  that  Andre  must  suffer  as 
a  spy." 

(2)  See  the  Memoirs  of  Major  Henry  Lee. 

(3)  See  Thacher's  Journal,  p.  271.    " 

(4)  In  the  Autumn  of  1821,  the  remains  of  Major  An 
dre  were  disinterred,  and  transported  to  England. 

CONCLUSION. 

(1)  "Never '."said  Birch,  speaking  out;  "was  it  for  money 
1  did  all  this."— Spy,  vol.  ii.  p.  274. 

(2)  See  the  concluding  paragraph  of  the  "Spy." 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROW! 

LOAN  DEPT. 


LD  2lA-40m-ll 
(E1602slO)476B 


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